Volatile organic compound exposure in relation to chronic inflammatory airway diseases among US adults: A cross-sectional study.

Authors

Qin Zhang, Wenqiang Li, Fang Xu, Ju Wu, Zhiping Deng, Qian Huang

Published in

Medicine. Volume 105. Issue 44. Pages e51368. Oct 30, 2026.

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.

PMID:
43012759
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Nov 2026.

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