Exploration of the global burden of dementia attributable to PM2.5: What do we know based on current evidence?

Additional effects have been identified in the literature and there is a need to understand its potential role in high prevalence diseases. In response to recent indications of PM2.5 as a risk factor for dementia, we examine the evidence by systematically reviewing the epidemiologic literature, in relation to exposure from ambient air pollution, household air pollution, secondhand smoke, and active smoking.

We develop preliminary exposure-response functions, estimate the uncertainty, and discuss sensitivities and model selection. We estimate the likely impact to be 2.1 M (1.4 M, 2.5 M; 5%-95% confidence) global incident dementia cases and 0.6 M (0.4 M, 0.8 M) deaths attributable to ambient PM2.5 pollution in 2015. This implies a combined toll from morbidity and mortality of dementia of 7.3 M (5.0 M, 9.1 M) lost disability-adjusted life years.