Short-term effects of air pollution on a range of cardiovascular events in England and Wales

Experimental and epidemiological studies have provided evidence of associations between air pollution and cardiovascular health. More pollution-related deaths occur from heart disease than from any other cause.

A recent study in Heart aimed to further current understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms by examining the strength and specificity of acute relationships between ambient air pollution and a range of CVD events. The key mechanistic question addressed is whether events of clear thrombotic origin, namely, acute MI, stroke and related outcomes, have a stronger association with air pollution than non-thrombotic outcomes.

Lead author Ai Milojevic, Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, describes what they found.