Association between environmental particulate matter and arterial stiffness in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Background: Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) has been shown to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease and the general population. Atmospheric particulate- matter (PM) concentrations and their effects on cardiovascular system by affecting arterial stiffness and central hemodynamic parameters had been noted. The purpose of this study was to access the correlation of air pollution variables and PWV in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Methods: This study analyzed 127 HD patients treated at the outpatient HD center. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured by using a Vascular Profiler 1000 (VP-1000). Air pollution levels were recorded by a network of 27 monitoring stations near or in the patients' living areas throughout Taiwan. The 12-month average concentrations of PM with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 and <2.5 mm (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, respectively), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide(CO), and ozone (O₃) were included. Results and Discussion: Multivariate linear regression analyses indicated that systolic blood pressure (SBP) (β = 0.589, P < 0.025), age (β = 0.316, P < 0.001), serum aluminum level (Al) (β = 0.149, P = 0.020), and PM₁₀ (β = 0.133, P = 0.036) were positively correlated with baPWV. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study shows that in HD patients, the environmental PM₁₀ level is associated with the baPWV.