CHEST Guidelines-Response

Response_chest

Pdf Summary

The authors of this letter respond to feedback regarding their study on air pollution metabolomic signatures and chronic respiratory diseases (CRD). They acknowledge concerns about using nonfasting plasma samples in the UK Biobank, noting a minimum recommended fasting time of four hours. They adjusted their analysis to account for a healthy diet score, which evaluates dietary factors such as fish, vegetable, fruit, and meat intake. This adjustment confirmed the robustness and consistency of their original findings, showing that exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen compounds correlates with increased CRD risk.<br /><br />Additionally, the authors addressed criticisms that they did not consider environmental noise by conducting further analyses adjusted for traffic noise exposure. Results remained consistent, supporting the initial findings on the link between air pollution and CRD.<br /><br />The authors also discuss limitations regarding air pollution exposure assessment, noting that enhanced measurement methods such as personal exposure monitors were not available in their study. They agree these could improve precision and suggest future research might incorporate such methodologies for more accurate individual-level exposure data.<br /><br />Lastly, the authors responded to unrelated commentary about pregnancy outcomes in critically ill women, acknowledging high maternal mortality in the U.S. and inviting further discussion. <br /><br />Overall, the response highlights further analysis and adjustments made to support their initial conclusions on air pollution's impact on respiratory health while acknowledging certain study limitations and suggesting avenues for future research enhancement.

Keywords

air pollution

metabolomic signatures

chronic respiratory diseases

UK Biobank

nonfasting plasma

dietary factors

traffic noise exposure

particulate matter

nitrogen compounds

personal exposure monitors