Air Quality a Temporary Trigger for MI

Heavy air pollution can trigger acute heart attack in the hours after exposure, Said Padmashri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal President Heart Care Foundation of India and MTNL Perfect Health Mela.

Every 10 μg/m3 increase in small particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide temporarily boosts heart attack risk by 1.2% and 1.1%, respectively, as per a report in BMJ.

The increased risk is seen up to six hours after exposure to typical traffic-related pollutants. The take home message is that breathing in large amounts of traffic fumes can trigger a heart attack up to six hours after exposure.

The investigators found the chance of suffering an attack increases by 1.3% in the six hours after coming in contact with high levels of vehicle-related pollutants.

About the author: Padmashri & Dr. B.C. Roy National Awardee, Dr. KK Aggarwal is a Senior Consultant, Physician, Cardiologist at Delhi based Moolchand Medcity; President Heart Care Foundation of India; Chairman Ethical Committee Delhi Medical Council and has served as the Research and Academic Wing Heads of National Indian Medical Association