Decades after toxic exposure, 9/11 first responders may still lower
their risk of lung injury

Date:
September 2, 2021
Source:
NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Summary:
A new study shows that losing weight and treating excess levels of
fat in the blood may help prevent lung disease in those exposed
to dangerous levels of fine particles from fire, smoke and toxic
chemicals.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Losing weight and treating excess levels of fat in the blood may help
prevent lung disease in firefighters exposed to dangerous levels of
fine particles from fire, smoke, and toxic chemicals on Sept. 11, 2001,
a new study shows. Experts have long feared that this exposure would
later lead to lung disease in first responders. High body mass index
(BMI), an indicator of obesity, and exposure to the highest levels of
toxins from the attack on the World Trade Center were the two greatest
risk factors for lowered lung function, according to the study authors.


========================================================================== After two decades of research analyzing thousands of first responders, a
new investigation led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine identified a cluster of five factors that predicted lung disease in
these patients. Along with excess body fat, the combination of insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and increased levels of sugar and
cholesterol in the blood are components of so-called metabolic syndrome,
a group of medical issues known to raise the risk of heart disease,
stroke, and diabetes.

Adjusting at least one of these factors, the study investigators found,
can greatly lower the risk of firefighters' developing lung disease
within five years, even 20 years after toxic exposures at Ground Zero. For example, for a male firefighter of average height, a 7-pound weight loss
could decrease his risk for lung injury by 20 percent.

"Our findings should reassure World Trade Center first responders that
there are steps they can take to protect their lungs even decades after exposure," says study co-lead author Sophia Kwon, DO, MPH. Kwon is a
fellow in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep at NYU
Langone Health.

In work presented earlier this year on 100 overweight 9/11 firefighters,
the team found that placing patients on a calorie-restricted Mediterranean
diet featuring unrefined grains, olive oil, fruits, and fish reduced
their risk of lung disease. Those following the regimen for six months
lost nearly 2 BMI points (from an average BMI of about 33 to an average
of 31) and had fewer signs of lung disease than they had reported before
the study period.

"These results offer firefighters a concrete way to lose weight and
achieve the lung-health benefits predicted by our risk model," says study co-lead author George Crowley, BA, a predoctoral fellow at NYU Langone.



========================================================================== Experts had previously understood that first responders who developed
metabolic syndrome shortly after 9/11 were more likely to have higher
rates of asthma.

However, lung injury risks for a firefighter whose metabolic syndrome
instead appeared later in life remained unclear until now.

The new study, publishing Sept. 2 in theAmerican Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine,is part of what is likely the longest-running
and most thorough exploration of the impact of metabolic syndrome on lung injury in 9/11 firefighters, according to the study authors. In addition,
the investigation is the first to date to quantify how adjusting one or
more of these risk factors changes lung disease risk.

For the investigation, the research team analyzed 20 years of data from
more than 5,700 firefighters active on 9/11, of whom 1,475 later developed
lung disease. Along with BMI, the data collected included smoking history,
and whether they had served at the World Trade Center in early morning
when pollutant exposure was at its peak.

"The lessons from our investigation can be applied not only to
firefighters but to the millions of city dwellers exposed to air pollution
on a daily basis," says study senior author and pulmonologist Anna Nolan,
MD. "They should be aware that while their environment poses real health
risks, they may still minimize their risk of lung disease even if they
cannot change their exposure." Nolan, a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Environmental Health at NYU Langone, cautions that while promising, the Mediterranean diet investigation only examined a small,
specific group.

As a result, the research team next plans to expand the study to determine whether the diet could benefit a more diverse population who have been similarly exposed to urban pollutants. They also plan to explore how
metabolic syndrome may affect other measures of lung function like asthma,
says Nolan.

Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health
grants R01 HL119326 and CDC/NIOSH U01 OH11300, and National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences grant R01 ES032808. Further funding
support was provided by the World Trade Center Health Program Clinical
Centers of Excellence 200-2017-93426 and Data Center 200-2017-93326.

In addition to Kwon, Crowley, and Nolan, other NYU Langone investigators involved in the study included Myeonggyun Lee, MS, and Mengling Liu,
PhD. Other study authors were Theresa Schwartz, MS; Rachel Zeig-Owens,
DrPhil, MPH; and David Prezant, MD; at the Fire Department of New York
in Brooklyn.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by NYU_Langone_Health_/_NYU_Grossman_School_of_Medicine.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sophia Kwon, Myeonggyun Lee, George Crowley, Theresa Schwartz,
Rachel
Zeig-Owens, David J Prezant, Mengling Liu, Anna Nolan. Dynamic
Metabolic Risk Profiling of World Trade Center-Lung Disease:
A Longitudinal Cohort Study. American Journal of Respiratory and
Critical Care Medicine, 2021; DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202006-2617OC ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210902101112.htm

--- up 8 hours, 25 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)