Key result
Air pollution exposure linked to ~23% higher risk of arterial stiffness.
Why the study?
To assess whether there is an association between air pollutants and arterial stiffness in the general population.
Does exposure to air pollutants increase arterial stiffness in the general population?
Meta-Analysis (n=257,784)
Does exposure to air pollutants increase arterial stiffness in the general population?
Effect estimate: RR 1.13 (O3), RR 1.23 (PM10), RR 1.23 (PM2.5), RR 1.25 (SO2) (95% CI 1.01-1.26 (O3), 1.03-1.48 (PM10), 1.04-1.45 (PM2.5), 1.06-1.49 (SO2))
Exposure to air pollutants including O3, PM10, PM2.5, and SO2 is associated with increased arterial stiffness in the general population.
Supports pollutant-arterial stiffness link; leaves open causality and practice implications pending interventional trials.
The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess whether there is an association between air pollutants and arterial stiffness in the general population. Systematic review and meta-analysis. The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Scopus databases were searched from inception to December 15, 2024. This study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD4202424598608). The DerSimonian and Laird method was used to calculate pooled risk ratio (RR) estimates and their 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the associations between air pollutants (CO, NO 2 , O 3 , PM 10 , PM 2.5 and SO 2 ) and arterial stiffness in the general population. A total of 13 observational studies involving 257,784 adults were included. The pooled RR for the association with arterial stiffness was 1.13 (95 % CIs: 1.01, 1.26) for O 3 , 1.23 (95 % CIs: 1.03, 1.48) for PM 10 , 1.23 (95 % CIs: 1.04, 1.45) for PM 2.5 , and 1.25 (95 % CIs: 1.06, 1.49) for SO 2 . No significant results were obtained for CO or NO 2 . Our findings showed that exposure to certain air pollutants, such as O 3 , PM 10 , PM 2.5 and SO 2 , was associated with increased arterial stiffness in the general population, although future research is needed to explore this association in more detail.
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Saz‐Lara et al. (2025) conducted a meta-analysis in Arterial stiffness (n=257,784). Air pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5, SO2) was evaluated on Arterial stiffness (RR 1.13 (O3), RR 1.23 (PM10), RR 1.23 (PM2.5), RR 1.25 (SO2), 95% CI 1.01-1.26 (O3), 1.03-1.48 (PM10), 1.04-1.45 (PM2.5), 1.06-1.49 (SO2)). Exposure to air pollutants including O3, PM10, PM2.5, and SO2 was associated with increased arterial stiffness in the general population (e.g., PM2.5 RR 1.23; 95% CI 1.04-1.45).
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