In April 2019 researchers from Taiwan published the results of their study to assess the effect of air pollution on individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Individuals with and without a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included in the study. In addition, all individuals had recently been diagnosed with pneumonia and had undergone removal of pleural fluid build-up. Results showed that increases in particulate matter of up to 2.5 μm and nitric dioxide both increased the risk of pneumonia in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A analysis of the pleural fluid revealed that an increase in copper and a decrease in zinc also appeared to be associated with an increased risk of pneumonia in those individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The researchers concluded by stating that results suggested that air pollution exposure significantly increased the risk of pneumonia in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Ho SC et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients have a higher risk of occurrence of pneumonia by air pollution. Sci Total Environ. 2019 Apr 26;677:524-529