Even low levels of air pollution may quietly descend your heart
Researchers who use a heartic magnetic resonance imaging found that long -term exposure to air pollution is associated with early signs of heart damage, according to a study published today in RayNorth America’s Radiation Association Journal (RSNA). The research indicates that the fine particles in the air may contribute to the widespread heart muscle fibrosis, a form of scars in the heart muscle that can precede the heart failure.
Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death all over the world. There is a wide range of evidence that connects poor air quality with cardiovascular diseases. However, the basic changes in the heart resulting from the exposure of air pollution are unclear.
“We know that if you are exposed to air pollution, you are more likely to develop heart disease, including the risk of a heart attack,” said Kate Haniman, a study author in Toronto. “We wanted to understand what drives this increasing danger at the tissue level.”
Dr. Haniman and his colleagues used a heartic magnetic resonance photography, which is an expanded photography technique, to measure myocardial fibrosis and evaluate its connection to long -term exposure to the particles known as the PM2.5. At 2.5 تر l in diameter or less, pm2.5 The particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs. Common sources include vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and wild smoke.
The researchers wanted to assess the effects of air pollution on both healthy people and those who suffer from heart disease, so the study group included 201 health controls and 493 patients suffering from expanding myocardial disease, a disease that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood.
Long -term exposure to air pollution is accurately associated with higher levels of myocardial fibrosis in both patients who suffer from heart muscle and controls, indicating that myocardial fibrosis may be a basic mechanism through which air pollution leads to heart complications and blood vessels. The largest effects on women, smokers and patients with high blood pressure were seen.
The study adds to increased evidence that air pollution is a cardiovascular risk factor, which contributes to the remaining risks that are not calculated by traditional clinical predictors such as smoking or high blood pressure.
“Even modest increases in air pollution levels have measurable heart effects,” said Dr. Haniman. “Our study indicates that air quality may play an important role in changes in the structure of the heart, which is likely to be the way for future cardiovascular disease.”
Knowing the history of exposure to the long -term air pollution of the patient can help improve the assessment of the risk of heart disease and to treat health inequality that contributes to air pollution to the level of exposure and effect. For example, Dr. Haniman said, if there is an individual working abroad in a poor air quality area, health care providers can combine exposure to assessing the risk of heart disease.
The levels of air pollution to patients in the study were less than many international air quality guidelines, which enhances the lack of safe exposure limits.
“Public health measures are needed to increase the exposure of air pollution in the long run,” said Dr. Haniman. “There have been improvements in air quality over the past decade, in Canada and the United States, but we still have a long way.”
In addition to shedding lights on the links between air pollution and myocardial fibrosis, the study highlights the important role that radiologists will play in research and clinical developments to move forward.
“Medical photography can be used as a tool to understand the environmental effects on the patient’s health,” said Dr. Haniman. “As radiologists, we have a huge opportunity to use photography to identify and measure some healthy effects of environmental exposure in various organs.”
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