High pollution levels linked to increase in heart attack risk

September 20, 2011 in Health

High levels of pollution could increase the risk of having a heart attack for up to six hours after exposure, finds research published in the British Medical Journal today.

However, the researchers found no increased risk after the six hour time frame.

Given the transient nature of the increased risk, they speculate that the heart attack would have happened anyway and was merely brought forward by a few hours. This is known as a short-term displacement (or "harvesting") effect of pollution.

While established research has concluded that high pollution levels are associated with premature death from heart disease, the link to an increased risk of heart attack is less clear, say the authors.

Krishnan Bhaskaran, an epidemiologist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues reviewed 79,288 heart attack cases from 2003 to 2006 and exposure, by the hour, to .

The authors used the UK National Air Quality Archive to investigate the levels of specific pollutants in the atmosphere. These included pollutant particles (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone.

Higher levels of PM10 and NO2 are well-known markers of traffic related pollution, says Bhaskaran.

Given the authors found no net increase in over a broader timescale, they argue that there may be "limited potential for reducing the overall burden of through reductions in pollution alone, but that should not undermine calls for action on air pollution, which has well established associations with broader health outcomes including overall, respiratory and ."

In an accompanying editorial, Professor Richard Edwards and Dr Simon Hales from the University of Otago in New Zealand say that "despite the strengths of the study, it is possible that a true effect was missed because of imprecise measurements and inadequate statistical power."

They conclude that "given other evidence that exposure to increases overall mortality and morbidity, the case for stringent controls on pollutant levels remains strong."

Provided by British Medical Journal search and more info website

5 /5 (1 vote)  

Rank 5 /5 (1 vote)
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Parent and teacher support protects teens from sleep problems and depression

A new study suggests that disturbed sleep in adolescents is associated with more symptoms of depression and greater uncertainly about future success. However, perceived support and acceptance from parents and teachers appears ...

Health created 45 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study shows that insomnia may cause dysfunction in emotional brain circuitry

A new study provides neurobiological evidence for dysfunction in the neural circuitry underlying emotion regulation in people with insomnia, which may have implications for the risk relationship between insomnia and depression.

Health created 50 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Calcium supplements linked to longer lifespans in women

Taking a calcium supplement of up to 1,000 mg per day can help women live longer, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Health created 53 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Fish oil may help the heart beat mental stress

Why is fish oil good for the heart? A new study suggests that this omega 3 fatty acid-rich nutrient could blunt some cardiovascular effects of mental stress.

Health created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

US health care: Does more spending yield better health?

(Medical Xpress)—Health care spending is much higher for older Americans than for younger adults and children, on average, and analysts have said that increasing spending leads to longer life expectancy.

Health created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Enzyme-activating antibodies revealed as marker for most severe form of rheumatoid arthritis

In a series of lab experiments designed to unravel the workings of a key enzyme widely considered a possible trigger of rheumatoid arthritis, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that in the most severe ...

Research offers promising new approach to treatment of lung cancer

Researchers have developed a new drug delivery system that allows inhalation of chemotherapeutic drugs to help treat lung cancer, and in laboratory and animal tests it appears to reduce the systemic damage ...

Researchers analyse hunting behaviour of fish larvae in virtual reality

Moving objects attract greater attention – a fact exploited by video screens in public spaces and animated advertising banners on the Internet. For most animal species, moving objects also play a major ...

Overeating learned in infancy, study suggests

In the long run, encouraging a baby to finish the last ounce in their bottle might be doing more harm than good.

Study details genes that control whether tumors adapt or die when faced with p53 activating drugs

When turned on, the gene p53 turns off cancer. However, when existing drugs boost p53, only a few tumors die – the rest resist the challenge. A study published in the journal Cell Reports shows how: tumors that live even i ...

Children of married parents less likely to be obese

Children living in households where the parents are married are less likely to be obese, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Houston.