Plasma metabolic and proteomic signatures of mixed exposure to ambient air pollutants associated with incident arthritis subtypes
Authors' conclusion
Air pollution mixtures were associated with increased risks of arthritis subtypes, potentially through both shared and disease-specific metabolic and proteomic pathways
Study context
- Population
- UK Biobank participants free of arthritis at baseline78,188 arthritis cases
- Participants
- 401,676 participants
- Exposure
- Higher vs lower air pollution mixture exposure
- Outcome
- Incident arthritis subtypes (RA, OA, gout, PsA)
Methodological detailsWeighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression, Cox proportional hazards models, generalized propensity score approaches, causal mediation analysis
- WQS regression
- Cox proportional hazards models
- Generalized propensity score approaches
- Causal mediation analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident arthritis subtypes · median follow-up of 13 years
- Higher WQS index scores and associated metabolic and proteomic signatures associated with increased risks of arthritis subtypes
- Main WQS contributors: NOx and NO2 for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), PM2.5 for osteoarthritis (OA), NOx and PM2.5 for gout, PM2.5 and PM10 for psoriatic arthritis (PsA)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Mediation by metabolic and proteomic signatures of air pollution–arthritis associations
- Mediation proportions range
- 4.92% to 35.05%
- Top 10 mediating metabolites and proteins partially overlapped, with disease-specific profiles across subtypes
Original publication
Plasma metabolic and proteomic signatures of mixed exposure to ambient air pollutants associated with incident arthritis subtypes. Joint Bone Spine. Published 31 August 2026. doi:10.
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