Authors:
Pereira G, Haggar F, Shand AW, Bower C, Cook A, Nassar N
Authors notes:
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 2013;67(2):147-152
Keywords:
Pre-eclampsia, traffic emissions, air pollution, pregnancy
Abstract:
Pre-eclampsia is a common complication of pregnancy and is a major cause of fetal maternal mortality and morbidity.
Despite a number of plausible mechanisms by which air pollutants might contribute to this process, few studies have investigated the association between pre-eclampsia and traffic emissions, a major contributor to air pollution in urban areas.
The authors investigated the association between traffic-related air pollution and risk of preeclampsia in a maternal population in the urban centre of Perth, Western Australia.
Each IQR increase in levels of traffic-related air pollution in whole pregnancy and third trimester was associated with a 12% and 30% increased risk of pre-eclampsia, respectively.
The largest effect sizes were observed for women aged younger than 20 years or 40 years or older, aboriginal women and women with pre-existing and gestational diabetes, for whom an IQR increase in traffic-related air pollution in whole pregnancy was associated with a 34%, 35% and 53% increase in risk of pre-eclampsia, respectively.
Elevated exposure to traffic-related air pollution in pregnancy was associated with increased risk of pre-eclampsia.
Effect sizes were highest for elevated exposures in third trimester and among younger and older women, aboriginal women and women with diabetes.