Air pollution not only harms the lungs but may also worsen obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a common yet underdiagnosed sleep disorder. A large multinational study has strengthened the link between environmental health and sleep medicine.
OSA affects millions worldwide, yet many remain unaware of it. People with OSA often snore loudly, experience repeated pauses in breathing, and wake up several times during the night.
The apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) measures the severity of the condition by counting the number of breathing interruptions per hour of sleep.
Study Findings Presented at ERS Congress
Researchers presented the findings at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. They reported that for every single-unit increase in PM10—tiny airborne particles from vehicle exhausts and industrial emissions—patients recorded a modest but measurable rise in their AHI.
Among patients with a low AHI (less than five), average PM10 levels in their locality measured around 16 micrograms per cubic meter. By contrast, patients with a higher AHI (five or more) lived in areas where PM10 averaged about 19 micrograms per cubic meter.
“OSA is more common in older or overweight individuals, but we now see evidence that air pollution could aggravate the condition,” said Martino Pengo, Associate Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca and clinician at Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS in Milan, Italy.
The study analysed health data from 19,325 OSA patients living in 25 cities across 14 countries. Researchers noted variations in the strength of the pollution-OSA link depending on the city.
Pengo explained: “We confirmed a statistically significant association between long-term exposure to PM10 and OSA severity. Even after adjusting for other known risk factors, we observed an average increase of 0.41 respiratory events per hour of sleep for every one-unit rise in PM10.”
The research underscores the importance of factoring in environmental risks such as air quality when diagnosing and treating OSA. Experts say that, alongside traditional risk factors like age and obesity, pollution must be considered a contributing factor to worsening sleep disorders.
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