Abstract
BackgroundThe health effects of short-term exposure to ambient ultrafine particles in micro-environments are still under investigation.MethodsSixty-four individuals with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance recorded ambulatory electrocardiograms over five to six hours on 191 occasions in a panel study in Augsburg, Germany. Personal exposure to particle number concentrations (PNC) was monitored for each individual on 5-minute basis concurrently and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 μm (PM2.5) was acquired from a central monitoring site on an hourly basis.ResultsMore than 11,000 5-minute intervals were available for heart rate and measures of heart rate variability including SDNN (standard deviation of NN intervals). A concurrent decrease in 5-minute SDNN of −0.56% (95% confidence limits (CI): −1.02%; −0.09%) and a 5-minute delayed increase in heart rate of 0.23 % (95% CI: 0.11%; 0.36%) was observed with an increase in personal PNC of 16,000 per cm3 in additive mixed models. Models evaluating the association of concurrent 5-minute personal PNC and of 1-hour PM2.5 showed independent effects on SDNN.ConclusionThe data suggest that freshly emitted ultrafine particles and aged fine particulate matter are both associated with changes in cardiac function in individuals with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in urban areas.
Highlights
The health effects of short-term exposure to ambient ultrafine particles in micro-environments are still under investigation
The study presented here aimed to assess the immediate impact of personal exposure particle to number concentrations (PNC) on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) measured by ambulatory electrocardiograms (ECG) during five to six hour periods in individuals with diagnosed type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)
No differences were observed between the type 2 diabetes patients and the individuals with IGT concerning their age, gender, body mass index or disease history
Summary
The health effects of short-term exposure to ambient ultrafine particles in micro-environments are still under investigation. Exacerbation of cardiovascular disease has been observed within individuals with diabetes during episodes of high ambient air pollution exposures [2,3,4]. Recent evidence from controlled exposures to ultrafine carbon particles suggested altered autonomic function during the exposure in subjects with type 2 diabetes [16]. The study presented here aimed to assess the immediate impact of personal exposure particle to number concentrations (PNC) on HR and HRV measured by ambulatory electrocardiograms (ECG) during five to six hour periods in individuals with diagnosed type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). We assess the impact of personally measured PNC during the morning hours on heart rate variability. We build on previous analyses that assessed the association between centrally monitored ambient air pollution and cardiac function within the same study [17]. We had previously reported associations between 1-hour PM2.5 and decreased heart rate variability upon concurrent exposure as well as exposures occurring up to 4 hours before the ECG recording
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