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Systematic review and metaanalysis of air pollution exposure and risk of diabetes

European Journal of Epidemiology volume 29, pages 231–242 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

The present systematic review and metaanalysis of published observational studies was conducted to assess the health effects of exposure to air pollution on diabetes risk. Online databases were searched through January 2013, and the reference lists of pertinent articles reporting observational studies in humans were examined. Pooled relative risks and 95 % confidence intervals were calculated with a random-effects model. Exposure to air pollution was associated with slight increase in risk of diabetes and susceptibility of people with diabetes to air pollution. These results were consistent between time-series, case-crossover and cohort studies and between studies conducted in North America and Europe. The association between exposure to air pollution and diabetes was stronger for gaseous pollutants than for particulate matter. Our metaanalysis suggests that exposure to air pollution may be a risk factor for diabetes and increase susceptibility of people with diabetes to air pollution.

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Acknowledgments

We thank K. Shashok (AuthorAID in the Eastern Mediterranean) for improving the use of English in the manuscript. This work was partially supported by funds from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. This research was performed as a part of the academic activity of the university.

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  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mohsen Janghorbani, Fatemeh Momeni & Marjan Mansourian

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  1. Mohsen Janghorbani
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  2. Fatemeh Momeni
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  3. Marjan Mansourian
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Correspondence to Mohsen Janghorbani.

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Janghorbani, M., Momeni, F. & Mansourian, M. Systematic review and metaanalysis of air pollution exposure and risk of diabetes. Eur J Epidemiol 29, 231–242 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-014-9907-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-014-9907-2

Keywords

  • Air pollution
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Metaanalysis