RISK OF HEART ATTACK IS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED BY TRAFFIC POLLUTION

Sat 03 September 2022:

Exhaust fumes and abrupt brakes may considerably raise the risk of heart attacks, a new study suggests.

Increases in nitric oxide, a common traffic-related pollutant, and the chance of having an attack have been linked in a study of over 18,000 participants done in Germany.

Every 10 g of air pollution added to the daily average raised the probability of suffering a heart attack by 1%, and 4% over a three-day period of high pollution.

According to researchers, smokers did not appear to be affected by smog, which is likely because they were already breathing toxic fumes continuously.

It comes after warnings that the UK may experience up to 11,000 annual deaths from heart disease and circulatory conditions as a result of air pollution.

Heart attacks decrease in hot weather, according to the research, which will be presented this weekend at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual congress in Barcelona.

Additionally, every 10°C increase in temperature was linked to a 6% decrease in the frequency of heart attacks.

17,873 patients who experienced a heart attack between 2008 and 2014 were included in the study.

The study concludes that traffic and combustion pollution must be reduced if we are to reduce the risk of acute myocardial infarction.

An observational study cannot establish causation. Given that nitric oxide and PM10 promote inflammation, atherosclerosis is partially brought on by inflammatory processes, and no associations were found in smokers, it is plausible that air pollution is a contributing factor in myocardial infarction.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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