Long-Term Exposure to PM10 and O3 and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Arterial Hypertension in a Bulgarian Cohort

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension are some of the most common socially significant diseases worldwide. The reasons for this are complex and in recent years there has been increasing evidence of associations between the diseases and various air pollutants. Studies show varying degrees of influence of particulate matter (PM) and atmospheric gases. The present study focuses on the long-term exposure of PM10 and Ozone O3 on the incidence of type 2 diabetes and arterial hypertension. The studied period is 7 years from 2018 to 2024. The region in which the cohort study was conducted is the city of Sofia, the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. Logistic regression models, with Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) to establish the associations with levels of air pollutions, were used. Relationships of diseases with various socio-demographic factors were also established. The models for the arterial hypertension have strongly positive relationships with O3 with values OR 1.023 (95% CI: 1.001 ÷ 1.045) for each increase of 10 µg/m3 O3. The model for PM10 and arterial hypertension showed OR of 1.014 (95% CI: 0.927 ÷ 1.12). For type 2 diabetes and PM10 and O3 the obtained results are OR 1.007 (95% CI: 0.923 ÷ 1.109) and OR 1.008 (95% CI: 0.98 ÷ 1.033). The combined model of two pollutants was also examined, for which a positive influence was obtained with an OR of 1.024 (95% CI: 1.001 ÷ 1.046).