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Published on: August 7, 2017
Early Gestational Wildfire-Related PM2.5 Exposure Is Associated with Lung Function in Offspring of Mothers with
Gabriela Martins Costa Gomes1,2, Adam M Collison1,2, Vanessa E Murphy1,2
1School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia.
Background:
Prenatal exposure to air pollutants may increase the risk of adverse respiratory outcomes, particularly in offspring of asthmatic mothers. Evidence on wildfire-related PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy remains limited. This study investigated associations between early gestational wildfire-related PM2.5 exposure, infant lung function, and respiratory outcomes at 6 years.
Methods:
Gestational wildfire-related PM2.5 exposure patterns were characterised using group-based trajectory modelling and linked to infant lung function outcomes. Infant respiratory measurements were obtained at six weeks of age during behaviourally defined quiet sleep using tidal-breathing flow-volume loops (TBFVL). Airway mechanics at six years were assessed by impulse oscillometry (IOS) following international guideline standards. Trajectory modelling of PM2.5 during gestation was conducted in SAS (PROC TRAJ); all additional statistical analyses were performed in Stata IC 16.1.
Results:
Increased mean tidal inspiratory flow (MTIF, beta coefficient [β]: 10.51 mL/s, 95% CI: 3.66 to 17.36, p = 0.003) and peak tidal inspiratory flow (PTIF, β: 12.49 mL/s, 95% CI: 2.48 to 22.51, p = 0.014) were observed in infants born to mothers with higher wildfire-related PM2.5 exposure during early gestation (n = 420; n = 411 not exposed, n = 9 exposed). β-coefficients from infant mixed models were then used as proxy indicators and applied in linear regression models and associated with higher reactance at 5 Hz frequency (n = 73) at 6 years of age (PTIF: β: 9.88 mL/s, 95% CI: 0.10 to 19.67, p = 0.048 and MTIF: β: 13.43 mL/s, 95% CI: 1.43 to 25.44, p = 0.029). PTIF was further associated with asthma diagnoses at 6 years (aOR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.73, p = 0.012; n = 259; n = 116 asthma).
Conclusion:
Early gestational exposure to wildfire-related PM2.5 may be linked with altered respiratory patterns in infancy and differences in airway reactance during childhood. Findings also suggest a relationship with asthma risk, although mechanisms remain uncertain.
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