Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are two common arrhythmias that cause irregular heartbeats and can both lead to more severe heart disease.
Researchers in China discovered air pollution increases the risk of an irregular heartbeat using data from 2,025 hospitals in the country. In a thorough investigation of 322 Chinese cities, it was discovered that exposure to air pollution increases the risk of having an irregular heartbeat.
Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are two common arrhythmias that cause irregular heartbeats and can both lead to more severe heart disease. They are thought to have an impact on 59.7 million people worldwide.
There has been conflicting evidence linking air pollution and arrhythmia, but a recent study published in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) found that there is a link between air pollution and an elevated risk of the conditions.
Chinese researchers examined data from 2,025 hospitals in 322 Chinese cities to examine the relationship between hourly exposure to air pollution and the sudden onset of arrhythmia symptoms.
The researchers used air pollutant concentrations from monitoring stations closest to the reporting hospitals to conduct their analysis because air pollution in China is significantly higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations for air quality.
Dr. Renjie Chen of the School of Public Health at Fudan University in Shanghai stated, “We found that acute exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with increased risk of symptomatic arrhythmia.
“The risks occur in the first few hours following exposure and may last up to 24 hours.” The study included 190,115 patients with acute onset of symptomatic arrhythmias, including supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, premature beat, and atrial fibrillation.
Atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and premature beats were the cardiac conditions most strongly associated with air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) had the strongest correlation with all four types of arrhythmias among the other six pollutants.
The stronger the association, the more exposure there is. The association between air pollution and the acute onset of arrhythmia that we observed is biologically plausible, the authors wrote, even though the precise mechanisms are not yet completely understood.
According to some evidence, air pollution changes the electrophysiological activities of the heart by causing oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, affecting a number of membrane channels, and affecting the autonomic nervous system.
The authors emphasised the importance of protecting those who are at risk during periods of high air pollution by noting that the association was immediate.
The authors wrote in their conclusion, “Our study adds to the evidence of harmful cardiovascular effects of air pollution, highlighting the importance of further reducing exposure to air pollution and prompt protection of susceptible populations worldwide.