Desert dust events may trigger myocardial infarctions
(HealthDay)—Exposure to Asian dust (AD), a windblown sand dust originating from mineral soil in China and Mongolia, a few days before symptom onset is associated with the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to a study published online July 29 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes.
Ryuichi Matsukawa, M.D., Ph.D., from Saiseikai Fukuoka General Hospital in Japan, and colleagues assessed data from AMI-related hospitalization for 3,068 consecutive patients from four AMI centers in Japan. Data were collected for AD from April 2003 to December 2010, and a time-stratified case-crossover design was used to assess the correlation between AD and AMI incidence.
The researchers found that after controlling for ambient temperature and relative humidity, the occurrence of AD events zero to four days before the day of admission correlated significantly with AMI incidence. Specifically, AD occurrence four days before admission correlated significantly with AMI onset.
"In conclusion, we observed an association between AD events and the occurrence of AMI," the authors write. "Exposure to AD may be a trigger of AMI."
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