Study reveals link between air pollution and mortality from cardiovascular diseases: Study

Switzerland: Along with lifestyle modification and effective disease management, air pollution should be an essential component of the cardiovascular diseases (CVD) preventive strategy, a recent study has suggested. 

A recent analysis of data from nearly all World Health Organization member states, the findings of which are published in Chronic Diseases and Translational Medicine, clearly demonstrates a link between air pollution and mortality from cardiovascular diseases, with more of such deaths associated with air pollution in low-income countries compared with high-income countries.

Adding that, "Low-income countries (LICs) are most prone to high CVD mortality, where ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a major health problem. LICs are most suffering from household air pollution, associated with high CVD mortality." 

In all 183 countries included, ischemic heart disease-related deaths attributed to air pollution were higher than stroke-related deaths caused by air pollution. In 2019, outdoor air pollution caused 16 ischemic heart disease-related deaths per 100,000 people in high-income countries compared with 70 per 100,000 in low-income countries.

Also, in low-income countries, household air pollution due to polluting fuels and stoves for cooking was a major problem. It contributed to greater than 2-times more stroke-related deaths than outdoor air pollution (39 stroke-related deaths per 100,000 versus 19 per 100,000). 

“Effective air pollution control along with the lifestyle modifications and disease management should be essential components of cardiovascular disease preventive strategies,” said corresponding author Nikolai Khaltaev, MD, of the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases, in Switzerland.

Reference:

Nikolai Khaltaev, Svetlana Axelrod, Cardiovascular disease mortality and air pollution in countries with different socioeconomic status, https://doi.org/10.1002/cdt3.116.