Air pollution may cause stroke: Study

A new study reiterates that exposure to air pollution, a major issue in all major Indian cities, may lead to a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke or heart attack.

The study conducted in the city and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, was part of The Cardiovascular Health effects of Air pollution in Telangana, India (CHAI) project, which aimed to analyse the association between particulate matter levels in the air and cardiovascular risk. It is the first to establish this link in a low-middle income population.

Dr Sunil Kapoor, cardiologist at Apollo Hospitals, explained, “Those who stay in high vehicular traffic zones are more at risk of pollution than those who live on the outskirts. Micro particles are most dangerous as they are inhaled and go all the way into the lungs. They enter the blood stream and affect the cardiovascular system. It was proven almost a decade ago that air pollution was one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.”

Meanwhile, PTI reported that according to the study, the level of exposure to ambient and household air pollution is related to carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT).

CIMT is the width of the inner two layers of the carotid artery that supplies blood to the brain, face, and neck and is a marker for atherosclerosis, a plaqueforming disease of the arteries affecting over 10 million Indians each year, the researchers, including those from Sri Ramachandra University (SRU), in Chennai, said.