Acute Effects of Air Pollutants on Spontaneous Pregnancy Loss: A Case-Crossover Study

Claire Leiser , Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
Heidi A. Hanson, University of Utah
Kara Sawyer, University of Utah
Jacob Steenblik, University of Utah
Ragheed Al-Dulaimi, University of Utah
Troy Madsen, University of Utah
Karen Gibbins, Oregon Health & Science University
Jim Hotaling, University of Utah
Yetunde Oluseye Ibrahim, University of Utah
James VanDerslice, University of Utah
Matthew Fuller, University of Utah

We sought investigate the relationship between short term exposure to air pollutants and spontaneous pregnancy loss (SPL). SPL events occurring from 2007-2015 (N=1398) were identified at the University of Utah Enterprise Data Warehouse. We performed an exploratory time-stratified case-crossover study linking these data to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 measures from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Associations between exposures and SPL were estimated using conditional logistic regression. A 10 ppb increase in 7-day average levels of NO2 was associated with a 15% increase in the odds of SPL (OR= 1.15; 95% CI 1.00-1.32; p=0.04). A 10 µg/m3 increase in 3-day and 7-day averages of PM2.5 were associated with increased risk of SPL, but the associations did not reach statistical significance (OR3-day average=1.09; 95 CI 0.99-1.20; p=0.05) (OR7-day average=1.11; 95 CI 0.99-1.24; p=0.06). Short term exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants may be associated with higher risk for SPL.

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 Presented in Session 176. Pollution and Birth Outcomes