ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 89

Anti-Nuclear Antibodies (ANA) and Air Pollution: Ultrafine Particles and Ozone

Sasha Bernatsky1, Shouao Wang2, May Y Choi3, Scott Weichenthal4, Marianne Hatzopoulou5, Marvin J. Fritzler6 and Audrey Smargiassi7, 1Divisions of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada, 2Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada, 3Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, 4Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, 5Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, 6Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, 7Public Health, Université de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

Meeting: 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Keywords: , ,

Session Information

Date: Sunday, October 21, 2018

Session Title: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus – Etiology and Pathogenesis Poster I

Session Type: ACR Poster Session A

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Previous studies have suggested links between air pollution (particularly PM2.5) and serum antibodies related to rheumatic diseases. No one has yet examined anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) positivity and ultrafine particles (UFP), or ozone (O3), both of which can trigger systemic immune system activation

Methods: Our analyses were based within the CARTaGENE cohort, 20,000 general population subjects drawn from the province of Quebec, Canada. We determined baseline ANA positivity on a random sample of these. Exposure to air pollutants were assigned by linking subjects’ residential postal codes with estimated levels (determined by hybrid approaches including satellite imagery and modelling). We performed multivariable logistic regression models for the outcome of positive ANA, assessing for independent effects of UFP (available for Montreal only) and O3 in separate models, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and self-reported ancestry. As a sensitivity analysis, a final multipollutant model included both variables together with ambient PM2.5 variable (estimated using hybrid approaches including satellite imagery).

Results: ANA positivity at a titre of at least 1: 160 occurred in 713 (20%) of 3,578 randomly selected patients tested. The ANA positive subjects were more likely than ANA negative subjects to be female (63%, versus 49%) while average age (55.4 versus 54.0) and percent never-smokers (37% versus 40%) were similar. There was a trend for higher average UFP: exposure for ANA positive subjects (24606.28 particles / cm3, standard deviation, SD 4978.62) versus ANA negative (24328.35, SD 5075.62), while average ozone levels were very similar (22.5 versus 22.6 µg/m). ). The multivariable model for UFP showed a trend to higher levels in the ANA positive group (1.008, 0.982, 1.034) while in the multivariable model for O3 the OR was very close to the null value (0.996, 95% CI 0.965, 1.029). The multipollutant model results were very similar. In all models, risk factors for ANA positivity included older age and female sex, with trends for lower ANA positivity in French Canadians.

Conclusion: We saw a non-significant trend towards higher UFP levels in ANA positive versus negative subjects, while O3 levels seemed very similar in the two groups. Expected trends for more ANA positivity with older age and female sex was seen. Further study of UFP levels with a larger sample size in in progress.

Pollution variables and ANA positivity: Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals

Single pollutant model, Ozone, N=3346

Adjusted Odds Ratio

95%

CI

O3 (µg/m3)

0.996

0.965

1.029

Age (continuous)

1.024

1.013

1.036

Female

1.778

1.492

2.118

Current (versus never or past) smoker

1.038

0.833

1.294

French Canadian Caucasian

0.843

0.703

1.012

Montreal

0.980

0.793

1.211

Ultrafine particles, N=1371

Adjusted Odds Ratio

95%

CI

UFP (1000 particles / cm3)

1.008

0.982

1.034

Age (continuous)

1.028

1.011

1.045

Female

2.054

1.558

2.708

Current (versus never or past) smoker

1.119

0.802

1.561

French Canadian Caucasian

0.749

0.571

0.982

Montreal

NA

NA

NA

Multipollutant model N=1371

Adjusted Odds Ratio

95%

CI

Regional ambient PM2.5 (µg/m3) 0.837 0.673 1.039
O3 (µg/m3) 0.956 0.895 1.021

UFP (1000 particles / cm3)

1.006

0.981

1.032

Age (continuous)

1.028

1.011

1.045

Female

2.080

1.576

2.745

Current (versus never or past) smoker 1.117 0.800 1.559

French Canadian Caucasian

0.735

0.559

0.965

Disclosure: S. Bernatsky, None; S. Wang, None; M. Y. Choi, None; S. Weichenthal, None; M. Hatzopoulou, None; M. J. Fritzler, Inova Diagnostics Inc., BioRad, Euroimmun GmbH, Mikrogen GmbH, Dr. Fooke Laboratorien GmbH, ImmunoConcepts, SKF Canada, Amgen and Pfizer, 5,ImmunoConcepts, Inova Diagnostics, Euroimmun GmbH, and Alexion Canada, 7; A. Smargiassi, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Bernatsky S, Wang S, Choi MY, Weichenthal S, Hatzopoulou M, Fritzler MJ, Smargiassi A. Anti-Nuclear Antibodies (ANA) and Air Pollution: Ultrafine Particles and Ozone [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018; 70 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/anti-nuclear-antibodies-ana-and-air-pollution-ultrafine-particles-and-ozone/. Accessed April 17, 2021.

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