TUESDAY, May 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is associated with increased hospital admissions for kidney diseases, according to a study recently published in Scientific Reports.
Iara Da Silva, Ph.D., from the University of São Paulo in Brazil, and colleagues analyzed meteorological variables, PM2.5 concentrations, and hospital admissions in São Paulo, Brazil, from 2011 to 2021 to examine the impact of PM2.5 concentration on the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), acute kidney injury (AKI), and glomerulopathy. A total of 37,170 records were analyzed; 55 percent represented male patients.
The researchers found that across different age groups and exposure levels, PM2.5 exposure was found to increase CKD hospitalization risk by one to four times. For individuals aged 19 to 50 years, long-term exposure to a high PM2.5 concentration (65 μg/m3) increased the risk considerably; in men aged 51 to 75 years, the risk was ≤2.5 times higher (relative risk, 1.025). After prolonged exposure to high PM2.5 concentrations, the AKI hospitalization risk was highest for men aged 19 to 50 years (relative risk, 1.04). The age group younger than 40 years had the highest risk for glomerulopathy, especially among men exposed to concentrations of 15 μg/m3 and 65 μg/m3 (relative risks, 1.02 and 1.07, respectively). Regardless of sex and age, such exposure also increased the cumulative risk for hospitalization for membranous nephropathy.
"Even concentrations within the limit showed a link to hospitalizations for kidney diseases, indicating the need to intensify policies to reduce air pollution," Da Silva said in a statement.
