Traffic as a Trigger for Heart Attacks

Public health importance of triggers of myocardial infarction: a comparative risk assessment (Dr Tim S Nawrot PhD, Laura Perez PhD, Prof Nino Künzli MD, Elke Munters MD, Prof Benoit Nemery MD, The Lancet, Feb. 24, 2011)

Also discussed here: Heart attack risk: air pollution worse than cocaine? (Daily Dose, Feb. 24, 2011)

The conclusion to note from today’s review article is “air pollution is an important trigger of myocardial infarction”- a fact underlined when one is in or near the emissions from heavy traffic. In fact, when one takes into account the exposure to traffic every day, this rises to the top of the list in terms of health risk, especially for elderly persons, as noted in the article. What more is needed for public health authorities to take steps to reduce traffic and exposure to traffic in downtown areas?

Key Quotes:

“traffic and air pollution account for nearly 12 percent of heart attacks worldwide. In comparison, cocaine use accounts for less than 1 percent”

"The important message here is that while an individual's risk from air pollution is moderate or small, each of us is exposed, making the amount of risk intolerable for the entire community,"

“Taking into account the OR and the prevalences of exposure, the highest PAF [population attributable fractions] was estimated for traffic exposure (7·4%), followed by physical exertion (6·2%), alcohol (5·0%), coffee (5·0%), a difference of 30 μg/m3 in PM10 (4·8%), negative emotions (3·9%), anger (3·1%), heavy meal (2·7%), positive emotions (2·4%), sexual activity (2·2%), cocaine use (0·9%), marijuana smoking (0·8%) and respiratory infections (0·6%)”

“Air pollutants may contribute to heart attack risk by promoting inflammation and increasing blood clotting,..These are both processes involved in the formation of unstable artery plaque, often involved in heart attacks”

"Studies have shown that people experience changes in heart rate on days when air quality is low,"

“Those particularly susceptible to the heart-damaging effects of pollution include the elderly, who have weaker hearts, and people who are obese, because they have higher levels of inflammation as well as more strain on their hearts”

Related articles

• Air Pollution May Trigger Heart Attacks (webmd.com)
• Air pollution worse than cocaine for triggering heart attacks, says study (guardian.co.uk)
• "Air Pollution Causes More Heart Attacks Than Cocaine" and related posts (gearlog.com)
• Air Pollution Triggers More Heart Attacks Than Cocaine (newser.com)
• Dirty air triggers more heart attacks than cocaine (reuters.com)
• Dirty air triggers more heart attacks than cocaine (msnbc.msn.com)
• Air pollution hard on hearts: MDs (cbc.ca)
• Heart attacks: Cycling to work is one of biggest causes (dailymail.co.uk)
• Traffic fumes 'trigger 9,000 heart attacks a year in Britain' (telegraph.co.uk)
• Air pollution causes more heart attacks than cocaine (sfgate.com)