title: Proximity to major roadways is a risk factor for airway hyper-responsiveness in adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Proximity to major roads is reported to be associated with asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness in children. Similar studies using objective measurements in adults are not available in Canada.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that adult asthmatic patients who live close to major roads and highways in an urban environment are at a risk of moderate to severe airway hyper-responsiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Airway responsiveness was determined using methacholine bronchial provocation (PC(20)) tests in a cohort of 2625 patients who attended an outpatient clinic in Hamilton, Ontario. Patient addresses were geocoded in a geographic information system to determine proximity to major roads and highways. Multivariate linear and multinomial regression analyses were used to assess whether proximity to roads was a risk factor for airway hyper-responsiveness as measured by PC(20) methacholine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients who lived within 200 m of a major road had increased odds (OR 1.38 [95% CI 1.04 to 1.85]) of having moderate airway hyperresponsiveness (0.25 mg⁄mL <PC(20) <2.0 mg/mL) compared with having a normal response (PC(20) >16 mg/mL). Spatial analysis also revealed that the majority of patients with severe airway hyper-responsiveness lived within the urban core of the city while those with moderate to mild hyper-responsiveness were also dispersed in rural areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In an adult population of patients attending an outpatient respiratory clinic in Hamilton, living close to major roadways was associated with an increased risk of moderate airway hyper-responsiveness. This correlation suggests that exposure to traffic emissions may provoke the pathology of airway hyper-responsiveness leading to variable airflow obstruction.
authors.affiliation: Firsestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St Joseph's Healthcare and Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Parameswaran
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nair
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001336:Automobiles; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009864:Ontario; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D014504:Urban Health; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001335:Vehicle Emissions