Air pollution can also cause an immediate heart attack, research shows

Air pollution can also cause an immediate heart attack, research shows
BEIJING (Reuters) – Pollution below World Health Organization standards could cause immediate heart attacks in some people, according to a disturbing study.

According to the survey, four types of air pollution, namely nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and very fine particles (FPM), although less than WHO standards, can still cause acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in some people. It can cause a heart attack. Another important point is that this condition can develop within an hour of exposure to contaminants.

ACS affects the blood flow to the heart muscle, which can lead to either a heart attack or angina that gets out of control. Blood clots close the arteries of the heart and cause immediate chest pain.
Of these, fine particles and nitrogen dioxide have been identified as the most dangerous for the heart. Both of these contaminants already have a negative effect on a person for hours. If the sufferers were 65 years of age or older, the effects would be more serious and dangerous. Even if they do not smoke or have a history of respiratory and heart disease.

Hedong Kane, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, and his colleagues say that although pollution is dangerous to the heart, its rapid onset is unprecedented. Another important point is that even moderate pollution can be an enemy of the heart.

According to a report published in the American Heart Association’s Journal of Circulation, smoke from cars and factories emits microscopic and liquid droplets that are already causing 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide, including heart attacks and strokes. Appears in case of paralysis. These particles travel through the lungs to the lungs and then into the bloodstream.

In this regard, the data of about 1.3 million people was examined. For this, a record of 2239 hospitals has been observed between 2015 and 2020 and stroke and heart diseases have been observed in them. Experts then examine airborne pollutants hourly and see what the rate of heart attacks is at the time of pollution (ie, airborne particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide).

It was found that at the same time when pollution was at its peak, the incidence of heart attacks and deaths was much higher. This is the period when an extraordinary number of patients fell victim to ACS and reached the hospital.