help button home button
AJRCCM
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Published ahead of print on October 11, 2007, doi:10.1164/rccm.200704-632OC
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Online Supplement
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
200704-632OCv1
177/4/419    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Related articles in AJRCCM
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bräuner, E. V.
Right arrow Articles by Loft, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bräuner, E. V.
Right arrow Articles by Loft, S.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 177. pp. 419-425, (2008)
© 2008 American Thoracic Society
doi: 10.1164/rccm.200704-632OC

Original Article

Indoor Particles Affect Vascular Function in the Aged

An Air Filtration–based Intervention Study

Elvira Vaclavik Bräuner1, Lykke Forchhammer1, Peter Møller1, Lars Barregard2, Lars Gunnarsen3, Alireza Afshari3, Peter Wåhlin4, Marianne Glasius4, Lars Ove Dragsted5, Samar Basu6, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen7 and Steffen Loft1

1 Institute of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Copenhagen, Denmark; 2 Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden; 3 Danish Building Research Institute, Hørsholm, Denmark; 4 Department of Atmospheric Environment, National Environmental Research Institute, Roskilde, Denmark; 5 The National Food Institute, Danish Technical University, Lyngby, and Institute of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, Frederiksberg, Denmark; 6 Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden; and 7 Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark

Correspondence and request for reprints should be addressed to Steffen Loft, M.D., D.M.Sc., Institute of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Øster Farimagsgade 5A, DK-1014 Copenhagen K, Denmark. E-mail: s.loft{at}pubhealth.ku.dk

Rationale: Exposure to particulate matter is associated with risk of cardiovascular events, possibly through endothelial dysfunction, and indoor air may be most important.

Objectives: We investigated effects of controlled exposure to indoor air particles on microvascular function (MVF) as the primary endpoint and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress as secondary endpoints in a healthy elderly population.

Methods: A total of 21 nonsmoking couples participated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study with two consecutive 48-hour exposures to either particle-filtered or nonfiltered air (2,533–4,058 and 7,718–12,988 particles/cm3, respectively) in their homes.

Measurements and Main Results: MVF was assessed noninvasively by measuring digital peripheral artery tone after arm ischemia. Secondary endpoints included hemoglobin, red blood cells, platelet count, coagulation factors, P-selectin, plasma amyloid A, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-{alpha}, protein oxidation measured as 2-aminoadipic semialdehyde in plasma, urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2{alpha}, and blood pressure. Indoor air filtration significantly improved MVF by 8.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.4–16.3%), and the particulate matter (diameter < 2.5 µm) mass of the indoor particles was more important than the total number concentration (10–700 nm) for these effects. MVF was significantly associated with personal exposure to iron, potassium, copper, zinc, arsenic, and lead in the fine fraction. After Bonferroni correction, none of the secondary biomarkers changed significantly.

Conclusions: Reduction of particle exposure by filtration of recirculated indoor air for only 48 hours improved MVF in healthy elderly citizens, suggesting that this may be a feasible way of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Key Words: atherosclerosis • biomarkers • cardiovascular disease • indoor air pollution • inflammation


AT A GLANCE COMMENTARY

Scientific Knowledge on the Subject
Increased cardiovascular risk is associated with exposure to air pollution.

What This Study Adds to the Field
Particles in indoor air affect endothelial function in elderly subjects. A significant improvement was shown after reduction of particles in the indoor air achieved by air filtration in their homes.

 

Related articles in AJRCCM:

Reducing Exposure to Airborne Particles: A Novel Strategy to Improve Cardiovascular Health
Nicholas L. Mills, Günter Oberdörster, and David E. Newby
AJRCCM 2008 177: 366-367. [Full Text]  



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.Home page
T. S. Nawrot, E. Alfaro-Moreno, and B. Nemery
Update in Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Disease 2007
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., April 1, 2008; 177(7): 696 - 700.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.Home page
N. L. Mills, G. Oberdorster, and D. E. Newby
Reducing Exposure to Airborne Particles: A Novel Strategy to Improve Cardiovascular Health
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., February 15, 2008; 177(4): 366 - 367.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Proc. Am. Thorac. Soc. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol.
Copyright © 2008 American Thoracic Society 		  ATS State of the Art Course 2008