ABSTRACT
Background Diabetes mellitus is a major public health issue at present. Previous studies have shown that ambient air pollution is a risk factor for diabetes. Objective This study aims to explore the acute effects of ambient air pollution on diabetes related death in Shanghai Jing’an District. Methods Daily air pollution data, meteorological data, and diabetes related mortality data in 2013−2019 in Shanghai Jing’an District were collected. A generalized additive model (GAM) was established to conduct time-series analysis on the short-term effect of ambient air pollution on diabetes related mortality, and gender- and age-stratified analysis on susceptibility of various groups to ambient air pollution exposures. Results For every 10 μg·m−3 increase of the concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2, the diabetes related mortality increased by 2.47% (95%CI: 1.56%−3.38%), 2.02% (95%CI: 1.29%−2.75%), 5.75% (95%CI: 2.99%−8.58%), and 3.93% (95%CI: 2.49%−5.39%) at lag05 respectively (P<0.05). In the stratified analysis, exposures to increased concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 raised the mortality risks from diabetes in male, female, and ≥65 years oldgroups (P<0.05). However, the differences in mortality risks from diabetes due to air pollution within gender and age groups were statistically insignificant. Conclusion In Shanghai Jing'an District, the elevated levels of ambient air pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2, are significantly associated with the increase of diabetes related mortality, and there are lag effects and cumulative effects. The ≥65 years olds are more susceptible to the impact of air pollution on diabetes related deaths.