Abstract 13653: The Effects of Home Particulate Air Filtration on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review

IntroductionThe benefits of in-home air filtration on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the hypothesis that in-home air filtration interventions aimed at reducing particulate air pollution will decrease SBP and DBP in adults.MethodsPUBMED and Web of Science Core Collection were queried to identify trials investigating the effects of in-home air filtration interventions on blood pressure. Studies were restricted to randomized controlled trials enrolling non-smoking participants in smoke-free homes. Two investigators screened and selected articles independently, and in duplicate. The health outcomes of this analysis were SBP and DBP, following exposure to either active or sham filtration conditions. RevMan 5.3 was used to assess the risk of bias in trials, and to calculate inverse variance and 95% confidence intervals in random effects model.ResultsWe identified 83 studies of which 11, inclusive of 604 participants, met inclusion criteria. Methodologic heterogeneity in study design (including levels of particulate exposure, method of filtration and intervention duration) was present for both SBP and DBP (I= 68% and 57%, respectively). Air filtration was associated with a significant reduction of mean SBP (-3.94mmHg, 95% CI [-7.00,-0.89], p = 0.01), and a trend towards a reduced mean DBP (-0.95 mmHg, 95% CI [-2.81, 0.91], p = 0.32) across studies.ConclusionParticulate air pollution may be a modifiable risk factor for hypertension. Among studies with non-smoking participants, in-home air filtration significantly reduced particulate air pollution and SBP, and had a non-significant trend towards reductions in DBP. Given the variation in study design, additional study is warranted to confirm and better quantify the observed clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure demonstrated through use of in-home air filtration.