Environmental factors, particularly air pollution, increases risk of myocardial infarction

Exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of fatal myocardial infarction (MI), particularly pollutants caused by motor traffic. This is the conclusion of a new thesis published by Karolinska Institutet.

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in Sweden and other Western European countries. Known risk factors include age, gender, hereditariness, smoking, hypertension and high blood lipid levels. However, the part played by the external environment still remains something of a mystery. Exposure factors that are thought to compound the risk include passive smoking, air pollution, noise pollution and the chemical composition of drinking water. Even if such environmental factors give only a small increase in risk, they can have serious consequences for public health bearing in mind the prevalence of the disease and their widespread and indiscriminate affect on people.