Association between ambient particulate matter and disorders of vestibular function

Area of Science:

• Environmental health
• Epidemiology
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Environmental chemical exposure may affect the inner and middle ear.
• The link between particulate matter (PM) exposure and acute vestibular dysfunction is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, PM10-2.5) and hospital visits for Meniere's disease (MD), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and vestibular neuronitis (VN).

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 210,000 individuals in Seoul (2007-2010) from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort.
• Employed time series analysis (Poisson generalized additive model) and case-crossover analysis (conditional logistic regression).
• Examined associations between daily PM levels and hospital visits for MD, BPPV, and VN.

Main Results:

• An increase in PM10 and PM10-2.5 on lag day 1 was associated with a higher risk of MD hospital visits.
• Elderly individuals (≥60 years) showed increased susceptibility to MD hospital visits following PM exposure.
• Marginally significant associations were observed for VN hospital visits, but no link was found for BPPV.

Conclusions:

• Ambient particulate matter exposure is associated with Meniere's disease hospital visits.
• Older adults are more vulnerable to the effects of particulate matter exposure on vestibular health.
• Further research is warranted to explore PM exposure's role in other vestibular disorders.