PM2.5-Related Neonatal Infections: A Global Burden Study from 1990 to 2019

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may increase the risk of neonatal infections. To show the effects of PM2.5 on neonatal infections as well as the trends of the effect, we studied the burden measured by the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and the age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate (ASDR) and its trends with the socio-demographic index in 192 countries and regions from 1990 to 2019.

This is a retrospective study that uses the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 database. The age-standardized mortality rate and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate are used to measure the burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections in different countries and regions. The annual percentage changes and the average annual percentage changes are used to reflect the trends over the years (1990-2019) and are calculated using a Joinpoint model. The relationship of the socio-demographic index with the ASMR and ASDR is calculated and described using Gaussian process regression.

With the rapid increase in the global annual average of PM2.5, the global burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections has increased since 1990, especially in early neonates, boys, and low-middle SDI regions. Globally, the ASMR and ASDR of PM2.5-related neonatal infections in 2019 were 0.21 (95% CI: 0.14, 0.31) and 19.06 (95% CI: 12.58, 27.52) per 100,000 people, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the ASMR and ASDR increased by 72.58% and 73.30%, and their average annual percentage changes were 1.9 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.6) and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.6), respectively. When the socio-demographic index was more than 0.60, it was negatively related to the burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections. Surprisingly, the burden in low SDI regions was lower than it was in low-middle and middle SDI regions, while high-middle and high-SDI regions showed decreasing trends.

Boys bore a higher PM2.5-related neonatal burden, with male fetuses being more likely to be affected by prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and having less of a biological survival advantage. Poverty was the root cause of the burden. Higher SDI countries devoted more resources to improving air quality, the coverage of medical services, the accessibility of institutional delivery, and timely referral to reduce the disease burden. The burden in low SDI regions was lower than that in low-middle and middle SDI regions. One reason was that the benefits of medical services were lower than the harm to health caused by environmental pollution in low-middle and middle SDI regions. Moreover, the underreporting of data is more serious in low SDI countries.

In the past 30 years, the global burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections has increased, especially in early neonates, boys, and low-middle SDI regions. The huge difference compared to higher SDI countries means that lower SDI countries have a long way to go to reduce the disease burden. Policy makers should appropriately allocate medical resources to boys and early newborns and pay more attention to data under-reporting in low SDI countries. In addition, it is very necessary to promulgate policies to prevent and control air pollution in countries with large and increasing exposure to PM2.5 pollution.