Association Between the Prevalence of Diabetes and PM2.5: A Cross-Sectional, Ecological Study

Many epidemiologic studies have drawn considerations to the adverse effects of air pollutants like particulate matter 2.5 ((PM2.5) on human health. This study aimed to analyze the association between the air concentration of PM2.5 and the prevalence of diabetes in Mashhad.

This ecological study assessed the relationship between PM2.5 level and diagnosed diabetes prevalence in the Mashhad metropolis by spatiotemporal analysis at the block level by data obtained from the Environmental Pollutants Monitoring Center and SINA electronic health records. The subgroup analysis was performed pursuant to age and gender. In addition, the kernel density estimation analysis and Pearson correlation were used to guesstimate the association between PM2.5 and diabetes mellitus.

A significant positive association was observed between PM2.5 concentrations and the prevalence of diabetes. The results of the kernel density estimation indicated that the R and S zones with the highest prevalence rates of diabetes are among the zones with the highest PM2.5 concentrations.

In general, the results showed that long-time exposure to PM2.5 increases the prevalence of diabetes in Mashhad.