Volatile organic compound exposure in relation to chronic inflammatory airway diseases among US adults : A cross-sectional study
- 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Dazhou Dachuan District People’s Hospital (Dazhou Third People’s Hospital), Dazhou, Sichuan, China
- 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zigong First People’s Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan, China
- 3Department of Pathology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Abstract
Given the limited and inconsistent epidemiological evidence linking volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure to chronic inflammatory airway diseases (CIAD) and its major subtypes, we designed this study to comprehensively evaluate these associations in an adult population. Weighted logistic regression models were employed to examine the associations between concentrations of 16 urinary VOC metabolites and CIAD in adults. For statistically significant VOC metabolites, restricted cubic spline curves were plotted to visualize potential nonlinear dose-response relationships. Subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate potential interaction effects. Additionally, we performed weighted logistic regression analyses to explore the associations between urinary VOC metabolites and different subtypes of CIAD. A total of 1326 participants were included. Multivariable analysis identified 5 out of 16 urinary VOC metabolites that were associated with CIAD in adults. Increased concentrations of these 5 metabolites (URXAAM [N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine], URXCYM [N-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine], URXGAM [N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine], URXMB3 [N-acetyl-S-(4-hydroxy-2-butenyl)-L-cysteine], and URXPHG [phenylglyoxylic acid]) were correlated with higher CIAD prevalence. Restricted cubic spline analyses adjusted for confounders showed linear positive associations for URXAAM, URXGAM (N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine), URXMB3 (N-acetyl-S-(4-hydroxy-2-butenyl)-L-cysteine), and URXPHG (P for nonlinear > .05), while URXCYM demonstrated a nonlinear positive association (P for nonlinear = .045). URXCYM had the greatest impact on CIAD (relative weight: 38.7%). All 5 metabolites were significantly associated with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/chronic bronchitis/emphysema (all P < .05, odds ratio > 1). Regarding CIAD subtypes, only URXPHG was positively associated with asthma–chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap, whereas the other 4 metabolites were not; only URXAAM was positively associated with asthma, while the other 4 showed no significant associations. Positive relationships were demonstrated between the densities of 5 urinary VOC metabolites and the incidence of CIAD among adults. Notably, URXCYM demonstrated the most significant impact on CIAD. Moreover, the urinary VOC metabolites linked to CIAD differed among its subtypes.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026volatile,
title = {{Volatile organic compound exposure in relation to chronic inflammatory airway diseases among US adults : A cross-sectional study}},
author = {Qin Zhang and Wenqiang Li and Fang Xu and Ju Wu and Zhiping Deng and Qian Huang},
journal = {Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1097/md.0000000000051368},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727267},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Volatile organic compound exposure in relation to chronic inflammatory airway diseases among US adults : A cross-sectional study
AU - Qin Zhang
AU - Wenqiang Li
AU - Fang Xu
AU - Ju Wu
AU - Zhiping Deng
AU - Qian Huang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Medicine
DO - 10.1097/md.0000000000051368
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727267
AB - Given the limited and inconsistent epidemiological evidence linking volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure to chronic inflammatory airway diseases (CIAD) and its major subtypes, we designed this study to comprehensively evaluate these associations in an adult population. Weighted logistic regression models were employed to examine the associations between concentrations of 16 urinary VOC metabolites and CIAD in adults. For statistically significant VOC metabolites, restricted cubic spline curves were plotted to visualize potential nonlinear dose-response relationships. Subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate potential interaction effects. Additionally, we performed weighted logistic regression analyses to explore the associations between urinary VOC metabolites and different subtypes of CIAD. A total of 1326 participants were included. Multivariable analysis identified 5 out of 16 urinary VOC metabolites that were associated with CIAD in adults. Increased concentrations of these 5 metabolites (URXAAM [N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine], URXCYM [N-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine], URXGAM [N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine], URXMB3 [N-acetyl-S-(4-hydroxy-2-butenyl)-L-cysteine], and URXPHG [phenylglyoxylic acid]) were correlated with higher CIAD prevalence. Restricted cubic spline analyses adjusted for confounders showed linear positive associations for URXAAM, URXGAM (N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine), URXMB3 (N-acetyl-S-(4-hydroxy-2-butenyl)-L-cysteine), and URXPHG (P for nonlinear > .05), while URXCYM demonstrated a nonlinear positive association (P for nonlinear = .045). URXCYM had the greatest impact on CIAD (relative weight: 38.7%). All 5 metabolites were significantly associated with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/chronic bronchitis/emphysema (all P < .05, odds ratio > 1). Regarding CIAD subtypes, only URXPHG was positively associated with asthma–chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap, whereas the other 4 metabolites were not; only URXAAM was positively associated with asthma, while the other 4 showed no significant associations. Positive relationships were demonstrated between the densities of 5 urinary VOC metabolites and the incidence of CIAD among adults. Notably, URXCYM demonstrated the most significant impact on CIAD. Moreover, the urinary VOC metabolites linked to CIAD differed among its subtypes.
SN - 0304-5412
SN - 1536-5964
SN - 0025-7974
ER -