Correlation between total air pollutant emissions and incidence of type 1 diabetes in the Russian Federation

BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollution (gaseous pollutants and/or particulate matter) has been associated with the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of type 1 diabetes (T1D). PURPOSE: To examine the quantitative relationship between air pollutant emissions and the incidence of T1D. METHODS: We examined the association between the incidence of T1D and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 2017 as well as that of T1D in patients younger than 15 years in 2016 with “emissions of air-polluting substances from stationary and mobile sources by regions of the Russian Federation in 2016” as reported by the Federal Diabetes Register of Russia downloaded from the Russian government website (http://www.mnr.gov.ru/docs/gosudarstvennye_doklady/o_sostoyanii_i_ob_okhrane_okruzhayushchey_sredy_rossiyskoy_federatsii/). RESULTS: The incidence of T1D across all ages in each region of the Russian Federation correlated with the total air pollutants emitted in the region each year (r=0.278, P=0.013). The incidence of T2D was also correlated with the amount of air pollutants (r=0.234, P=0.037) and the incidence of T1D (r=0.600, P<0.001) in each country. Similarly, the incidence of T1D in patients younger than 15 years correlated with the total air pollutants emitted each year in each region (r=0.300, P=0.011). CONCLUSION: The quantitative relationship between the total air pollutants emitted and the incidence of T1D and T2D in the Russian Federation suggests that air pollution contributes to the development of T1D and T2D.