The role of the components of PM 2.5 in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

Abstract

Background: The associations of PM _2.5 mass and various adverse health outcomes have been widely investigated. However, fewer studies focused on the potential health impacts of PM _2.5 components, especially for dementia and Alzheimer's diseases (AD).

Methods: We constructed a nationwide population-based open cohort study among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older during 2000-2018. This dataset was linked with the predicted levels of 15 PM _2.5 components, including 5 major mass contributors (EC, OC, NH ₄ ⁺ , NO ₃ ^- , SO ₄ ^2- ) and 10 trace elements (Br, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Ni, Pb, Si, V, Zn) across contiguous US territory. Data were aggregated by ZIP code, calendar year and individual level demographics. Two mixture analysis methods, weighted quantile sum regression (WQS) and quantile g-computation (qgcomp), were used with quasi-Poisson models to analyze the health effects of the total mixture of PM _2.5 components on dementia and AD, as well as the relative contribution of individual components.

Results: Exposure to PM _2.5 components over the previous 5 years was significantly associated with increased risks of both dementia and AD, with stronger associations observed for AD. SO ₄ ^2- , OC, Cu were identified with large contributions to the combined positive association of the mixture from both WQS and qgcomp models.

Conclusion: We found positive associations between the 15 PM _2.5 components and the incidence of dementia and AD. Our findings suggest that reducing PM _2.5 emissions from traffic and fossil fuel combustion could help mitigate the growing burden of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.