Research reveals link between air pollution and water quality and people having multiple long term chronic conditions

New research has identified a new link between air pollution and water quality with multimorbidity.

Multimorbidity is the presence of two or more chronic health conditions that create disability and poor quality of life in old age.

In 2023, the overall global prevalence of multimorbidity was 37.2 per cent.

However, the mechanisms driving multimorbidity are complex and not well understood.

The new study aimed to identify groups of people in Serbia with similar health problems and to see if these groups were more likely to live in areas with poor air quality or water pollution.

Researchers examined a large group of people from all over Serbia using information from the European Health Interview Survey, a regular survey used to understand the health of people across Europe.

The study found that the overall prevalence of multimorbidity in Serbia was 33.4 per cent, with health problems grouped into six main categories: general health problems, heart problems, diabetes and related problems, lung problems, and muscle and bone problems.

The results showed that people living in areas with higher levels of air pollution, especially from tiny particles and sulfur dioxide, were more likely to have multimorbidity.

Additionally, people exposed to polluted water, whether it was chemically polluted, biologically polluted, or both, were also more likely to have multimorbidity

Liddy Goyder is Professor of Public Health and member of the Healthy Lifespan Institute at the University of Sheffield.

The researcher said: “This research represents a unique collaboration between the Healthy Lifespan Institute, the University of Belgrade and public health and environmental agencies in Serbia.

“It shows, for the first time, the association between environmental pollution and specific multimorbidity clusters, highlighting the need for policies for tackling health inequalities and multimorbidity to address both socioeconomic and environmental factors.”

The study follows recent research from the US which found that patients with heart disease, specifically those with heart failure, are especially vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution and poor air quality and can take steps to protect themselves.