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. 2023 Oct;37(10):108594.
doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2023.108594. Epub 2023 Aug 25.

Environmental exposures and blood pressure in adolescents and adults in the T1D exchange clinic registry

Stephanie Griggs  1 , Grant Pignatiello  2 , Issam Motairek  3 , Jorden Rieke  4 , Quiana Howard  5 , Sybil L Crawford  6 , Sanjay Rajagopalan  7 , Sadeer Al-Kindi  8 , Ronald L Hickman Jr  9
Affiliations

Environmental exposures and blood pressure in adolescents and adults in the T1D exchange clinic registry

Stephanie Griggs et al. J Diabetes Complications. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Aims: To examine the associations between environmental determinants of health and blood pressure and whether age, sex, or race moderated the associations among 18,754 adolescents and adults from the type 1 diabetes (T1D) Exchange Clinic Registry.

Methods: We used multivariable linear regression. Environmental determinants included exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5, obtained from an integrated model), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), noise and light pollution, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, a marker of green space) at the ZIP code level of residence.

Results: Higher exposure to PM2.5 and NO2, and lower NDVI, was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and higher light pollution exposure were similarly associated with higher diastolic blood pressure. These associations between environmental exposures and blood pressure remained significant after accounting for other covariates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, and T1D duration). With aging, the negative association between NDVI and blood pressure weakened.

Conclusions: These findings emphasize the significance of minimizing exposure to environmental pollutants, including PM2.5 and NO2, as well as ensuring access to areas with higher NDVI, to promote cardiovascular health in individuals with T1D.

Keywords: Cardiometabolic risk; Environmental determinants of health; Type 1 diabetes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest None.

Figures

Figure 1a
Figure 1a
Age as a Moderator Between Normalized Vegetation Index and Systolic Blood Pressure
Figure 1b
Figure 1b
Age as a Moderator Between Normalized Vegetation Index and Diastolic Blood Pressure
Figure 2
Figure 2
Regression Variable Plots Environmental Exposures (PM2.5, Nitrogen Dioxide, Noise Exposure, Light Exposure, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and Systolic Blood Pressure
Figure 3
Figure 3
Regression Variable Plots Environmental Exposures (PM2.5, Nitrogen Dioxide, Noise Exposure, Light Exposure, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and Diastolic Blood Pressure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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