Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, with air pollution becoming a major environmental problem. According to the Global Burden of Disease 2019, air pollution causes around 6.7 million deaths annually, exceeding even that of tobacco smoking. Polish smog is a unique type of air pollution, mainly composed of particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which might have exceptionally adverse cardiovascular effects. In our latest study, we aimed to assess, whether Polish smog has a short-term effect on mortality due to acute coronary syndromes and ischemic stroke and identify the most vulnerable groups.
What are the main findings of our study?
A negative effect of PMs was noticeable in both acute coronary syndromes- and ischemic stroke-related mortality. NO2 significantly affected mortality only due to acute coronary syndromes. The detrimental influence of air pollution was the most noticeable the next day after exposure. The most vulnerable to poor air quality groups were women and elderly people. In our opinion, focusing on epidemiological risk factors such as air pollution is now more important than ever.
This study was presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2023.
The full article can be accessed at DOI: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/8/5566
Michal Swieczkowski, one of the members of our team and the main author of this study, gave an interview at the aforementioned conference about the detrimental influence of air pollution on the cardiovascular system (available online: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/air-pollution-linked-with-elevated-risk-of-fatal-heart-attacks-and-strokes).