Long-term exposure to air pollution may quietly harm your heart, even before symptoms appear, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology.
Researchers used cardiac MRI scans to find early signs of heart damage linked to breathing polluted air over time.
The damage, known as myocardial fibrosis, is a type of scarring in the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death across the globe. Previous studies have shown that poor air quality raises the risk of heart attacks and other heart problems. But scientists did not fully understand what changes happen inside the heart due to air pollution.
Dr. Kate Hanneman, a medical imaging expert at the University of Toronto, led the study. She and her team wanted to find out how air pollution affects the heart at the tissue level. They focused on a type of air pollutant called PM2.5, or fine particulate matter.
These are tiny particles from sources like car exhaust, factory emissions, and wildfire smoke. Because they are so small, PM2.5 particles can enter the lungs and then the bloodstream, where they may affect organs like the heart.
To explore this, the researchers studied 694 people: 201 healthy adults and 493 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that weakens the heart’s ability to pump blood. Using MRI, they measured the amount of scarring in each person’s heart muscle and compared it to how much air pollution they had been exposed to over time.
They discovered that people who were exposed to more air pollution had more scarring in their heart tissue. This was true for both healthy individuals and those with heart disease. The effects were especially strong in women, people with high blood pressure, and smokers.
The findings suggest that even low or moderate levels of air pollution can harm the heart. This is worrying because most of the people in the study were exposed to pollution levels that fall within current safety guidelines. The study adds to a growing body of research showing that there may be no truly safe level of air pollution.
Understanding a patient’s history of air pollution exposure may help doctors better predict heart disease risks. For example, if someone lives or works in a place with poor air quality, that information could help in developing a more personalized plan for heart health.
Dr. Hanneman stressed that public health action is urgently needed. Although air quality has improved in countries like the United States and Canada, pollution remains a serious concern. More must be done to reduce exposure, especially for people who are most at risk.
The study also highlights how imaging technology like MRI can help scientists and doctors understand how the environment affects our health. According to Dr. Hanneman, radiologists can play a big role in future studies by using imaging tools to detect early signs of disease caused by pollution or other environmental factors.
In summary, this research shows that breathing polluted air over time may damage the heart in ways that are hard to detect without advanced scans.
These hidden changes could set the stage for future heart problems. Reducing pollution exposure could be a key step in preventing heart disease before it starts.
The study is published in Radiology.
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