Traffic pollution increasing risk of heart attacks – Study
By Nneka Nwogwugwu
A significant study suggests that the risk of heart attacks may be significantly increased by exhaust fumes and abrupt braking.
Increases in nitric oxide, a frequent traffic-related pollutant, and the likelihood of having an attack have been linked in a study conducted in Germany on nearly 18,000 people.
The risk of having a heart attack increased by 1% for every 10 g of air pollution added to the daily average, and by 4% during a three-day period of high pollution.
According to researchers, smokers did not appear to be affected by smog, which is likely because they were already breathing toxic fumes continuously.
This study came after warnings that the UK may experience up to 11,000 annual deaths from heart disease and circulatory conditions as a result of air pollution.
Heart attacks decrease in hot weather, according to the research, which will be presented this weekend at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual congress in Barcelona.
Additionally, every 10°C increase in temperature was linked to a 6% decrease in the frequency of heart attacks.
17,873 patients who experienced a heart attack between 2008 and 2014 were included in the study.
The study concludes that traffic and combustion pollution must be reduced if we are to reduce the risk of acute myocardial infarction.