Ambient air pollution is associated with graft failure/death in pediatric liver transplant recipients

Children exposed to disproportionately higher levels of air pollution experience worse health outcomes. In this population-based, observational registry study, we examine the association between air pollution and graft failure/death in children following liver transplantation (LT) in the US. We modeled the associations between air pollution (PM_2.5) levels localized to the patient's ZIP code at the time of transplant and graft failure or death using Cox proportional-hazards models in pediatric LT recipients aged <19 years in the US from 2005-2015. In univariable analysis, high neighborhood PM_2.5 was associated with a 56% increased hazard of graft failure/death (HR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.32, 1.83; P < .001). In multivariable analysis, high neighborhood PM_2.5 was associated with a 54% increased risk of graft failure/death (HR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.29, 1.83; P < .001) after adjusting for race as a proxy for racism, insurance status, rurality, and neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation. Children living in high air pollution neighborhoods have an increased risk of graft failure and death posttransplant, even after controlling for sociodemographic variables. Our findings add further evidence that air pollution contributes to adverse health outcomes for children posttransplant and lay the groundwork for future studies to evaluate underlying mechanisms linking PM_2.5 to adverse LT outcomes.