SynthesisAlzheimer's research & therapy2026
Airborne pollutants and risk of neurodegenerative diseases: a global systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Atmospheric Aerosol Neurotoxicity and Parkinson's Disease: Mechanisms and Perspectives.Journal of biochemical and molecular toxicology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe relationship between airborne pollutants and subtypes of neurodegenerative disorders remains poorly understood. This study aims to assess the associations between major air pollutants and the risk of multiple neurodegenerative disease outcomes.
methodsWe searched three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus), with the most recent update on February 21st, 2026. We included studies involving adults (without the disease at baseline) with exposure to air pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, NO2, NOx, and O3, and outcomes related to all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and vascular dementia (VaD). Data extracted included study details, population characteristics, and risk of bias, assessed using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects models.
resultsAmong 24,196 identified records, 49 studies met the inclusion criteria. The included studies covered populations from North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, providing a broad global perspective. A per-increment relationship was found between air pollution and incidence of all-cause dementia. For each 1 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5, the pooled HR for all-cause dementia was 1.07 (95% CI: 1.02–1.12), with weaker but positive associations for AD (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.05), PD (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.04) and VaD (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.05). PM10 exposure was positively associated with AD risk (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.03, per 1 µg/m³ increase). In addition, NO2 was associated with increased risks of all-cause dementia (HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.00-1.11) and VaD (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01–1.28) per 10 µg/m³ increase.
conclusionsOur findings indicate that pollutants, particularly PM2.5, PM10, and NO2, are associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases. These results provide strong evidence supporting the role of air quality in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 13, aiming to reduce the dementia burden and improve air quality globally.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.