Older womens' risk of heart disease and strokes increased by air pollution

Feb 1 2007

A study by researchers in the U.S. has found that air pollution might be a contributing factor in the incidents of heart disease and strokes in older women.

The researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, say a study they conducted provides evidence of the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and cardiovascular disease.

According to the research team, women living in areas with high concentrations of tiny particles of air pollution were more prone to strokes, heart attacks and other forms of heart disease than those living where the air is cleaner.

The team looked at data collected as part of the Government-funded Women's Health Initiative, and examined the health records of 65,893 postmenopausal women from 36 U.S. metropolitan areas, from 1994 to 1998 with a follow-up of 6 years.

None of the women had a previous history of cardiovascular disease.

They assessed the women's exposure to air pollutants using the monitor located nearest to each woman's residence and they say each time the concentration of particulates increased by 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air, a woman's risk of dying from heart disease rose by 76 percent.

The researchers say the study illustrates that the effects of fine particulate pollution on peoples' health may be greater than previously thought and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution is linked with the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death among postmenopausal women.

The findings support earlier studies which also found that particulate pollution increases the death rate.

The particles involved are minute and are the result of burning fossil fuels and experts suspect they may cause inflammation in the blood vessels and the lungs, encouraging fatty deposits which clog up the arteries.

The study found that other air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide, did not increase the heart attack risk.

The study is published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.