Background
In hemodialysis patients, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) levels are affected by particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM₁₀). We conducted this study to determine whether there is an association between short- and long-term PM₁₀ exposure and baPWV in apparently healthy adults aged 40 years and older.
Methods
A total of 1,628 subjects who underwent health examinations between 2006 and 2009 were included in the study. On the basis of the day of medical screening, the 1–3-day and 365-day moving averages of PM₁₀ concentrations were used to evaluate the association between short- and long-term exposure to PM₁₀ and high baPWV (≥the third quartile of baPWV, 1,534 cm/s) using logistic regression models. Additional subgroup analyses were conducted according to age, sex, obesity (body mass index ≥25.0 kg/m²), and comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome.
Results
No statistically significant associations were identified between short-term and long-term exposure to PM₁₀ and baPWV in any of the subjects and subgroups. A 10-μg/m³ increase in the 2-day moving average of PM₁₀ exposure was marginally associated with high baPWV in non-obese subjects (odds ratio, 1.059; P=0.058). This association in non-obese subjects was significantly different from that in obese subjects (P=0.038).
Conclusion
This study did not show statistically significant associations between short-term and long-term exposure to PM₁₀ and baPWV in apparently healthy subjects. With short-term exposure to PM₁₀, non-obese subjects showed a marginally unfavorable association with baPWV. Further studies are necessary to validate and elucidate the mechanism underlying the effect of PM₁₀ on baPWV.

Citations

• Association between exposure to air pollution and arterial stiffness in participants with and without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
  Haoyu Zhang, Jinghao Sun, Yinghua Zhang, Keling Xiao, Yang Wang, Jin Si, Yan Li, Lijie Sun, Ting Zhao, Ming Yi, Xi Chu, Jing Li
  Clinical Research in Cardiology.2026; 115(8): 1306.     CrossRef
• Association between air pollutants and arterial stiffness in the general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis
  María José Rodríguez-Sánchez, Alicia Saz-Lara, Iván Cavero-Redondo, María José Díaz Valentín, María José Simón, Rosa María Fuentes Chacón
  Public Health.2025; 249: 106018.     CrossRef
• Long-term exposure to reduced specific-size ambient particulate matter and progression of arterial stiffness among Chinese adults
  Dankang Li, Shouling Wu, Linxi Tang, Shuohua Chen, Feipeng Cui, Yudiyang Ma, Run Liu, Jianing Wang, Yaohua Tian
  Journal of Hazardous Materials.2024; 466: 133482.     CrossRef
• Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Constituents and Vascular Damage in a Population with Metabolic Abnormality in China
  Lijin Lin, Huxiang Huang, Fang Lei, Tao Sun, Ze Chen, Kun Qin, Manyao Li, Yingying Hu, Xuewei Huang, Xingyuan Zhang, Peng Zhang, Xiao-Jing Zhang, Zhi-Gang She, Jingjing Cai, Shujuan Yang, Peng Jia, Hongliang Li
  Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis.2023; 30(11): 1552.     CrossRef