Air Pollution and Tear Lactoferrin among Dry Eye Disease Modifications by Stress and Allergy: A Case–Control Study of Taxi Drivers

Abstract

Few studies have explored the possible associations between air pollution and tear lactoferrin (Lf) levels, a non-invasive biological marker of ocular surface diseases, among taxi drivers, while none have explored the modifications by stress and allergic tendencies in the relationship. We recruited 1905 taxi drivers with dry eye disease (DED) and 3803 non-DED controls in Liaoning, China, in 2012–2014. After physical examination and questionnaires were recorded, ocular surface was measured and tear Lf was determined by electrophoresis. Air pollutants and humidity were estimated by measured concentrations from monitoring stations. Conditional logistic regression models were employed to examine the associations of air pollutants and humidity with tear Lf levels. Among taxi drivers with stress or allergic tendencies, an IQR (26 μg/m3, 10 μg/m3) increase in PM10 and NO2 levels elevated the adjusted odds ratio by 1.89 (95% CI, 1.19 to 3.08) or 1.77 (95% CI, 1.06 to 2.90); and 2.87 (95% CI, 1.60 to 3.58) or 2.93 (95% CI, 1.64 to 3.83), respectively. In contrast, humidity was inversely associated for taxi drivers with stress [0.51 (95% CI, 0.38 to 0.64)] or allergic tendencies [0.49 (95% CI, 0.11 to 0.84)]; and for taxi drivers without stress [0.33 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.39)] or without allergic tendencies [0.39 (95% CI, 0.19 to 0.59)]. Tear Lf was negatively associated with each quartile of PM10 or NO2 exposure, and low humidity. PM10, NO2, and low humidity were inversely associated with Lf levels, especially for DED taxi drivers with stress and allergic tendencies.