Prenatal air pollution exposure and the risk of transient tachypnea of the newborn
- 1Children's Medical Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital , ,
- 2Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital , ,
Abstract
Objective
Although prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution is known to compromise neonatal health, its specific impact on transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), a prevalent cause of neonatal respiratory distress, has rarely been investigated on a population-based scale. This study aimed to evaluate the association between maternal exposure to certain air pollutants during pregnancy and the risk of TTN, as well as regional variations from a nationwide perspective.Methods
We conducted a nationwide, nested case-cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database linked to the Maternal and Child Health Database (2004-2020). Newborns of primiparous mothers diagnosed with TTN (n = 3,091) were matched with healthy controls (n = 12,364) at a 1:4 ratio based on maternal age, neonatal sex, and birth date. Individual prenatal exposure across the 40 weeks preceding birth was estimated by mapping maternal residential postal codes to the nearest of 71 active air monitoring stations. Multiple logistic regression models were adjusted for comprehensive perinatal and clinical confounders.Results
Multivariate analysis demonstrated that elevated prenatal exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) was strongly associated with an increased risk of TTN (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.806, 95% CI: 1.312-2.487; p < 0.001). Significant risk elevations were also identified for nitrogen oxides (NOx) (aOR: 1.010, 95% CI: 1.005-1.015; p < 0.001) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (aOR: 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000-1.002; p = 0.023). Geographically stratified analysis revealed that these risks were highly pronounced in the traffic-dominated, urban basin of northern Taiwan (Taipei and New Taipei City).Conclusion
This study demonstrated that prenatal exposure to specific air pollutants, including CO, NOx, and PM2.5 is associated with an increased risk of TTN. Furthermore, our regional analysis suggests that traffic-related emissions may exert the greatest impact.
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BibTeX
@article{lin2026prenatal,
title = {{Prenatal air pollution exposure and the risk of transient tachypnea of the newborn}},
author = {Fang-Ju Lin and Ching-Heng Lin and Yi-Hsuan Lin and Ming-Chih Lin},
journal = {Frontiers in pediatrics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fped.2026.1941575},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13716731},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prenatal air pollution exposure and the risk of transient tachypnea of the newborn
AU - Fang-Ju Lin
AU - Ching-Heng Lin
AU - Yi-Hsuan Lin
AU - Ming-Chih Lin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Frontiers in pediatrics
DO - 10.3389/fped.2026.1941575
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13716731
AB - Objective Although prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution is known to compromise neonatal health, its specific impact on transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), a prevalent cause of neonatal respiratory distress, has rarely been investigated on a population-based scale. This study aimed to evaluate the association between maternal exposure to certain air pollutants during pregnancy and the risk of TTN, as well as regional variations from a nationwide perspective.Methods We conducted a nationwide, nested case-cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database linked to the Maternal and Child Health Database (2004-2020). Newborns of primiparous mothers diagnosed with TTN (n = 3,091) were matched with healthy controls (n = 12,364) at a 1:4 ratio based on maternal age, neonatal sex, and birth date. Individual prenatal exposure across the 40 weeks preceding birth was estimated by mapping maternal residential postal codes to the nearest of 71 active air monitoring stations. Multiple logistic regression models were adjusted for comprehensive perinatal and clinical confounders.Results Multivariate analysis demonstrated that elevated prenatal exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) was strongly associated with an increased risk of TTN (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.806, 95% CI: 1.312-2.487; p < 0.001). Significant risk elevations were also identified for nitrogen oxides (NOx) (aOR: 1.010, 95% CI: 1.005-1.015; p < 0.001) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (aOR: 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000-1.002; p = 0.023). Geographically stratified analysis revealed that these risks were highly pronounced in the traffic-dominated, urban basin of northern Taiwan (Taipei and New Taipei City).Conclusion This study demonstrated that prenatal exposure to specific air pollutants, including CO, NOx, and PM2.5 is associated with an increased risk of TTN. Furthermore, our regional analysis suggests that traffic-related emissions may exert the greatest impact.
SN - 2296-2360
ER -