A study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, has uncovered a concerning link between air pollution and heart attacks in nonsmokers.
This significant finding highlights the broader health impacts of pollution beyond its effects on respiratory health.
Dr. Insa de Buhr-Stockburger from the Berlin Brandenburg Myocardial Infarction Registry and her colleagues focused their research on the relationship between air pollutants and the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, in Berlin.
They analyzed data involving 17,873 cases of heart attacks from 2008 to 2014.
The study found a robust and independent link between heart attack occurrence and nitric oxide and air particulate matter (PM10) levels.
Specifically, they noted that the incidence of heart attacks varied by 3.2 percent with the same-day mean values of nitric oxide concentration.
Similarly, a 4.8 percent variation was observed with the average PM10 concentration over the preceding three days.
Interestingly, the research also found an inverse relationship between the daily peak ambient temperature and the incidence of heart attacks. However, no significant links were found concerning the duration of sunshine and precipitation.
A striking aspect of this study is that the impact of nitric oxide and PM10 pollution on heart attack incidence was not observed in current smokers. This finding suggests that air pollution might be a more significant risk factor for heart attacks in nonsmokers.
Dr. de Buhr-Stockburger, in her statement, emphasized that “dirty air” should be considered a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction.
She called for more efforts to reduce pollution from traffic and combustion, underscoring the need for public health interventions.
While the study’s observational nature means it can’t definitively establish causation, the findings suggest a plausible link between air pollution and heart attacks.
Both nitric oxide and PM10 are known to promote inflammation and atherosclerosis, a condition partly caused by inflammatory processes.
The lack of association in smokers could point to different mechanisms of heart disease risk in this group compared to nonsmokers.
This research adds to the growing body of evidence on the harmful effects of air pollution on cardiovascular health. It highlights the importance of clean air initiatives and the need for policies aimed at reducing traffic and combustion-related pollution.
As cities worldwide grapple with pollution issues, this study underlines the importance of considering the wide-ranging impacts of air quality on public health, not just for those with respiratory conditions but for all individuals, particularly nonsmokers.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies about a big cause of heart failure, and common blood test could advance heart failure treatment.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about a new way to repair human heart, and results showing drinking coffee may help reduce heart failure risk.
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