The role of comorbidities in the associations between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease: A national cohort study in the American Medicare population

Our findings suggest that PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased AD risk, primarily through direct rather than comorbidity-mediated pathways. Stroke may modestly increase susceptibility. These findings highlight the need for air quality interventions as part of dementia prevention strategies in aging populations, especially those facing overlapping environmental and clinical vulnerabilities.