空氣污染與漸進性視力喪失有關，這種視力喪失可能成為永久性的

空氣污染與漸進性視力喪失有關，這種視力喪失可能成為永久性的

In a large observational study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers have found a link between air pollution and an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a progressive condition that leads to severe visual impairments that could become irreversible.

在《英國眼科學雜志》發(fā)表的一項大型觀察性研究中，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)空氣污染與患老年性黃斑變性(AMD)風險增加之間存在聯(lián)系。老年性黃斑變性是一種進行性疾病，會導致嚴重的視力損害，而且可能變得不可逆轉。

There are known risk factors that contribute to the development of AMD such as old age, high blood pressure, and being overweight, as well as a genetically inheritable component that runs in families, however, the exact cause of AMD has not yet been fully explained. Much work has gone into understanding the genetic origins of AMD and whether stem cell and gene therapies might be able to reverse or prevent the process, but more needs to be done to understand the factors that put individuals at higher risk for developing the condition.

有一些已知的危險因素會導致AMD的發(fā)展，如老年，高血壓，超重，以及家族遺傳的組成部分，然而，AMD的確切原因還沒有完全解釋。在了解AMD的遺傳起源以及干細胞和基因療法是否能夠逆轉或阻止這一過程方面已經(jīng)進行了大量的工作，但要了解使個體有更高風險患上這種疾病的因素，還需要做更多的工作。

Now air pollution, already a grave health concern in big cities around the world, has been linked to an 8 percent increased risk of developing AMD.

現(xiàn)在，在世界各地的大城市，空氣污染已經(jīng)是一個嚴重的健康問題，它與患AMD的風險增加8%有關。

Johannes Van Zijl

“Here we have identified yet another health risk posed by air pollution, strengthening the evidence that improving the air we breathe should be a key public health priority," said lead author Professor Paul Foster from University College London in a press release. "Our findings suggest that living in an area with polluted air, particularly fine particulate matter or combustion-related particles that come from road traffic, could contribute to eye disease."

倫敦大學學院首席作者保羅·福斯特教授在一份新聞稿中表示:“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了空氣污染帶來的又一個健康風險，這進一步證明，改善我們呼吸的空氣應該是公共健康優(yōu)先考慮的關鍵問題。我們的研究結果表明，生活在空氣污染地區(qū)，尤其是來自道路交通的細顆粒物或與燃燒相關的顆粒，可能會導致眼病。”

The authors of the study looked at data from 115,954 participants from the UK Biobank (UKBB) that were between the ages of 40 and 69 years old and had no visual impairments at the start of the study back in 2006.

這項研究的作者查看了來自英國生物樣本庫(UKBB)的115954名參與者的數(shù)據(jù)，他們的年齡在40歲到69歲之間，在2006年研究開始時沒有視力障礙。

Over time, the participants had to self-report any formal diagnosis of AMD by a doctor. Using retinal imaging (non-invasive optical coherence tomography), the researchers assessed any structural changes (amount of light receptors and the thickness) of the retina, the part of the eye involved in AMD progression, in 52,602 people from the original total group that had complete data sets available in 2009 and 2012.

隨著時間的推移，參與者必須自行報告醫(yī)生對AMD的任何正式診斷。利用視網(wǎng)膜成像(非侵入性光學相干斷層攝影術)，研究人員評估了52,602人視網(wǎng)膜的任何結構變化(光受體的數(shù)量和厚度)，視網(wǎng)膜是涉及AMD進展的眼部部分，這一組在2009年和2012年有完整的數(shù)據(jù)集。

Furthermore, using data collected from the Small Area Health Statistics Unit, part of the BioSHaRE-EU Environmental Determinants of Health Project, the researchers calculated the average annual air pollution at the participants' home addresses. Two key pollutants were looked at, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), referred to as fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

此外，利用小區(qū)域健康統(tǒng)計單位(BioSHaRE-EU健康環(huán)境決定因素項目的一部分)收集的數(shù)據(jù)，研究人員計算了參與者家庭住址的年平均空氣污染。研究人員考察了兩種主要污染物，二氧化氮(NO2)和氮氧化物(NOx)，即細顆粒物(PM2.5)。

Out of the total number of study participants, 1,286 were diagnosed with AMD over time. Out of the 52,602 participants who had undergone the eye assessment during the study period, 75 percent that had a clinical diagnosis of AMD also had structural changes in the eye associated with AMD picked up by retinal imaging exams by the end of the study. Out of the participants that did not have a clinical diagnosis of AMD, 12 percent had structural changes associated with the condition.

在研究的總參與者中，隨著時間的推移，1286人被診斷為AMD。52,602名在研究期間進行了眼部評估的參與者中，在研究結束時，75%的臨床診斷為AMD的患者視網(wǎng)膜成像檢查也發(fā)現(xiàn)了與AMD相關的眼睛結構變化。在沒有臨床診斷為AMD的參與者中，12%的人有與這種狀況相關的結構變化。

Accounting for additional risk factors, such as lifestyle and comorbid conditions, the researchers found that the participants that had the highest fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at their home address had an 8 percent higher risk of AMD.

考慮到其他風險因素，如生活方式和共病條件，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，在家庭住址中細顆粒物(PM2.5)含量最高的參與者患AMD的風險要高出8%。

"Higher exposure to air pollution was also associated with structural features of AMD. This may indicate that higher levels of air pollution may cause the cells to be more vulnerable to adverse changes and increase the risk of AMD.” said Dr Sharon Chua, first author of the study.

“暴露在空氣污染中也與AMD的結構特征有關。這可能表明，較高水平的空氣污染可能導致細胞更容易受到不利變化，并增加了AMD的風險。”研究第一作者蔡美兒博士說。

The researchers note this was an observational study, which doesn't seek a cause, and although their new findings are in line with other findings from around the world, more work needs to be done to understand the potential link between air pollution and AMD.

研究人員指出，這是一項觀察性研究，并沒有尋找原因，盡管他們的新發(fā)現(xiàn)與世界各地的其他發(fā)現(xiàn)一致，但需要做更多的工作來了解空氣污染和AMD之間的潛在聯(lián)系。

"Further studies examining both outdoor and indoor ambient air pollution estimates on AMD and outer retinal structures may help to substantiate our findings and understand the implications for retinal disease associated with aging. If our findings are replicated, this would support the view that air pollution is an important modifiable risk factor for AMD," they concluded.

“進一步研究室外和室內(nèi)環(huán)境空氣污染對AMD和外部視網(wǎng)膜結構的估計，可能有助于證實我們的發(fā)現(xiàn)，并理解與衰老有關的視網(wǎng)膜疾病的影響。如果我們的發(fā)現(xiàn)被復制，這將支持空氣污染是AMD重要的可改變的風險因素的觀點，”他們總結道。