Long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and renal function in older men: The veterans administration normative aging study

Background: It is unknown if ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is associated with lower renal function, a cardiovascular risk factor. oBjective: We investigated whether long-term PM_2.5 exposure was associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in a cohort of older men living in the Boston Metropolitan area. Methods: This longitudinal analysis included 669 participants from the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study with up to four visits between 2000 and 2011 (n = 1,715 visits). Serum creatinine was measured at each visit, and eGFR was calculated according to the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. One-year exposure to PM_2.5 prior to each visit was assessed using a validated spatiotemporal model that utilized satellite remote-sensing aerosol optical depth data. eGFR was modeled in a time-varying linear mixed-effects regression model as a continuous function of 1-year PM_2.5, adjusting for important covariates. results: One-year PM_2.5 exposure was associated with lower eGFRs; a 2.1-μg/m³ interquartile range higher 1-year PM_2.5 was associated with a 1.87 mL/min/1.73 m² lower eGFR [95% confidence interval (CI): –2.99, –0.76]. A 2.1 μg/m³-higher 1-year PM_2.5 was also associated with an additional annual decrease in eGFR of 0.60 mL/min/1.73 m² per year (95% CI: –0.79, –0.40). conclusions: In this longitudinal sample of older men, the findings supported the hypothesis that long-term PM_2.5 exposure negatively affects renal function and increases renal function decline.