Drops in air pollution linked to fewer heart disease hospitalizations
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- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
When air pollution levels fell during a five-year period in Italy, so did hospitalizations for heart-related emergencies, a new study reports.
Between 2010 and 2019, levels of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) dropped steadily in both urban and rural areas of Italy. Between 2015 and 2019, there was a parallel decline in hospital admissions for serious heart problems such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure, based on an analysis of more than 2.8 million patients. The most striking drops in hospitalizations occurred in regions with worse air quality.
The findings, published in the October 2024 issue of Current Problems in Cardiology, support the possibility of lowering the prevalence of heart disease by reducing air pollution with almost immediate effects, according to the authors.
When people breath in PM2.5, these microscopic particles pass through the lungs into the bloodstream. They then trigger inflammation and oxidative stress (another cell-damaging process), both of which contribute to heart disease.
Image: © damircudic /Getty Images
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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