Long‐Term Particulate Matter Exposure May Increase Risk of Chronic Rhinosinusitis WIth Nasal Polyposis: Results From an Exposure‐Matched Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: ABSTRACT Background Particulate matter ⩽2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) and its role in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) pathogenesis have gained heightened attention. We previously demonstrated that PM2.5 exposure may bias the nasal mucosa in CRS toward a Type 2 inflammatory pathway. However, there are limited data comparing cytokine changes in CRS sinonasal tissue to non‐CRS patients as it relates to PM2.5 exposure. We hypothesized that long‐term exposure preferentially increases the risk of manifesting CRS with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP). Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 376 patients (308 CRS, 68 controls) who underwent endoscopic sinus or skull base surgery. A spatiotemporal machine‐learning model estimated daily PM2.5 levels for 1 year prior to each patient's surgery date. Cytokines were quantified using a multiplex flow cytometric bead assay and compared to estimated PM2.5 exposure using Spearman correlation and multivariate regression. Patients with high and low 12‐month PM2.5 exposures were matched across age, sex, income, and rurality using a nearest neighbor algorithm. Multivariate adjusted logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of CRS based on PM2.5 exposure. Results Reduced IL‐10 levels were associated with higher PM2.5 exposures in control patients (β = −0.735, p = 0.0196). In exposure‐matched logistic regression analysis, high 12‐month PM2.5 exposure was an independent predictor of CRSwNP (β = 1.97, OR: 7.22, p = 0.0001) after adjustment for age, income, rurality, and comorbid asthma/allergic rhinitis. A similar relationship was not identified for CRSsNP. Conclusions PM2.5 exposure is associated with reduced IL‐10 in control patients compared to CRS and may increase odds of CRSwNP development.
DOI: 10.1002/alr.23589
Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Language: English
Subfield: Otorhinolaryngology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,100
OpenAlex ID: W4409627154