24.02.2011
Belgium-Swiss collaboration shows that air pollution is a highly relevant trigger of myocardial infarctions
Acute myocardial infarction (MI) occurs with the rupture of existing artherosclerotic plaques, resulting in the occlusion of coronary arteries. It is the potentially life threatening manifestation of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in many western countries.
Investigators from Belgium and the Epidemiology and Public Health Department (EPH) of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) ranked the public health relevance of known triggers of infarctions. They found that the burden of infarctions due to traffic exposure and to ambient air pollution is substantial, ranking as high as infarction due to physical exertion, having had a heavy meal or anger, factors highly associated with precipitating MI events.
This study emphasizes the relevance and potential benefit of policies that reduce air pollution exposure to prevent MI in the community, and warns against overlooking this public health threat in developing urban areas of low income countries where increasing rates of coronary heart diseases and very high levels of pollution coincide.
“Public health importance of triggers of myocardial infarction: a comparative risk assessment”. Lancet (in press). Author: Tim S Nawrot, Laura Perez, Nino Künzli, Elke Munters, Benoit Nemer
Link: The Lancet
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