Associations of gestational diabetes mellitus with residential air pollution exposure in a large Southern California pregnancy cohort

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Studies of effects of air pollution on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have not been consistent, and there has been little investigation of effects of exposure preceding pregnancy. In previous studies, the temporal relationship between exposure and GDM onset has been difficult to establish. METHODS: ) during preconception and the first trimester of pregnancy at the residential birth address were estimated from regulatory air monitoring stations. Odds ratios (ORs) of GDM diagnosed in the second and third trimesters in association with pollutant exposure were estimated using generalized estimating equation models adjusted for birth year, medical center service areas, maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, census-tract household income, and parity. RESULTS: were associated with reduced risk of GDM (OR = 0.94 per 15.7 ppb, 95% CI: 0.92, 0.95; OR = 0.95 per 15.7 ppb, 95% CI: 0.94, 0.97), associations that were robust to adjustment for co-pollutants. CONCLUSIONS: during the preconception trimester may increase risk of GDM.