The association of annual air pollution exposure with blood pressure among patients with sleep-disordered breathing

While sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), high blood pressure (BP) and air pollution exposure have separately been associated with increased risk of cardiopulmonary mortality, the association linking air pollution exposure to BP among patients with sleep-disordered breathing is still unclear. We collected 3762 participants' data from the Taipei Medical University Hospital's Sleep Center and air pollution data from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration. Associations of 1-year mean criteria air pollutants [particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤10μm (PM₁₀), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5μm (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃)] with systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were investigated by generalized additive models. After controlling for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), temperature and relative humidity, we observed that increases in air pollution levels were associated with decreased SBP and increased DBP. We also found that patients with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥30 showed a stronger BP response to increased levels of air pollution exposure than those with AHI