Air pollution and percent emphysema identified by computed tomography in the Multi-Ethnic study of atherosclerosis

Abstract

Background: Air pollution is linked to low lung function and to respiratory events, yet little is known of associations with lung structure. oBjectives: We examined associations of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) with percent emphysema-like lung on computed tomography (CT). Methods: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) recruited participants (45–84 years of age) in six U.S. states. Percent emphysema was defined as lung regions