Heart Disease and Environmental Factors

Environmental factors are important factors that can trigger an acute heart attack. Patients with coronary heart disease should avoid outdoor activities in a cold or heavily polluted environment

 

Triggering Factors for Heart Attack

 

 

Air Pollution is closely related to Coronary Heart Disease

 

Pollutants Result   Harvard University, USA PM 10 Increase in hospital admissions for coronary heart diseases University of Edinburg, UK PM 10 Increase in hospital admissions for coronary heart diseases University of Ottawa, Canada PM 2.5, PM 10 CO, NO2, SO2, O3 Increase in hospital admissions for coronary heart diseases Harvard University, USA NO2 Increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmia

＊ CO ＝Carbon Monoxide

 

Studies by the Department of Community and Family Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

 

Relationship between air pollution and hospital admission
Pollutant*	Percentage increase in hospital admissions
	Respiratory Illnesses	Asthma	Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease	Pneumonia and Influenza	Cardiovascular Disease	Heart Failure
Nitrogen Dioxide(NO2)	2.0%	2.6%	2.9%	2.8%	1.3%	4.4%
Sulphur Dioxide(SO2)	1.3%	1.7%	2.3%	--	1.6%	3.6%
Particulate matter <10μm(PM10)	1.6%	1.5%	1.9%	2.5%	0.6%	4.8%
Ozone(O3)	2.2%	3.1%	3.2%	2.2%	1.3%	3.8%
(* Rise of 10μg per cubic metre)			(Source: Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 1999)

 

Exposure in polluted area may lead to atherosclerosis

 

 

Maintenance of a good liver is vital as it protects the body against harmful chemicals.

 

Pollutant can cause atherosclerosis in animal