Influence of Personal Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Physiology and Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Subjects With Diabetes

<strong>Objective:</strong> We investigated whether personal exposure to particulate matter <=10 um in diameter (PM10) contributes to impaired cardiovascular function and increased systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetic patients.<p></p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> We monitored 25 patients' personal exposure to PM10 for 24 hours and then measured their heart rate, blood pressure, brachial arterial diameter, flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), plasma cytokines, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), which is an oxidative stress marker. We repeated this procedure for 7 weeks on each subject. We tested the associations using mixed-effects models.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> PM10 was significantly positively associated with FMD and TBARS but inversely associated with end-systolic basal brachial arterial diameter (P < 0.05). Moreover, in subjects not taking vasoactive medications, PM10 was significantly positively associated with blood pressure but inversely associated with artery flow.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Elevated PM10 may contribute to oxidative stress and impaired cardiovascular function in patients with diabetes mellitus.</p>