Air Pollution and Other Environmental Modulators of Cardiac Function

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in developed regions and a worldwide health concern. Multiple external causes of CVD are well known, including obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, age, and sedentary behavior. Air pollution has been linked with the development of CVD for decades, though the mechanistic characterization remains unknown. In this comprehensive review, we detail the background and epidemiology of the effects of air pollution and other environmental modulators on the heart, including both short- and long-term consequences. Then, we provide the experimental data and current hypotheses of how pollution is able to cause the CVD, and how exposure to pollutants is exacerbated in sensitive states. Published 2017. Compr Physiol 7:1479-1495, 2017.

Effects of High-Fat Diet on eHSP72 and Extra-to-Intracellular HSP70 Levels in Mice Submitted to Exercise under Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter

“…Obesity and associated comorbidities are more prevalent in urban areas, where individuals are also exposed to another major global health problem, the air pollution exposure, mainly represented by a fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) [8, 9]. PM 2.5 is formed from the combustion processes, including vehicles, power plants, and burning related to agricultural or industrial work.…”

“…As PM 2.5 is inhaled, it invades the respiratory tract and the vascular system [10] promoting oxidative stress in tissues such as the lungs and heart which has been associated with the development of pulmonary inflammation [11, 12]. In overweight and obese individuals, PM 2.5 exposure has been strongly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and insulin resistance, which is potentiated by the rising inflammatory effects of adiposity, increased BMI and increased waist-to-hip ratio [9, 13–15].…”

Indicators of cardiovascular system in persons of mature age depending on a body constitution under adverse ecological conditions

“…Under conditions of long-term exposure to harmful environmental factors, changes in blood flow are primarily found in medium and small vessels, which is reflected in reduced regional blood flow, changes in vascular tone and dysregulatory effects, which are observed by some scientists [12,25].…”

“…In addition, the appearance of occupational diseases as the only indicator of negative changes in the human body is unacceptable, because in this case the level of "quality of life" is leveled, which is not determined only by the absence of disease [13]. Important in the context of this problem is that the functional changes caused by the studied environmental factors are often transient [5,6,8], or masked by the stress of adaptive capacity [4,19], and therefore often not detected in during professional medical examinations of employees [12]. The following data, in particular, are given in the study of cerebral blood flow in persons exposed to chronic ionizing radiation in residents of radiation-contaminated regions: background REG in this contingent does not exceed the age norm, but the performance of intellectual tasks of varying complexity elasto-tonic changes of the vascular bed and a certain level of regulatory changes in the circulatory system [25].…”

POLLAR: Impact of air POLLution on Asthma and Rhinitis; a European Institute of Innovation and Technology Health (EIT Health) project

“…It is a leading contributor to global disease burden [ 1 , 2 ]. The role of air pollution on cardiovascular events [ 3 ], COPD [ 4 ], sleep apnea [ 5 ] and asthma exacerbations [ 6 ] is clear. In allergic rhinitis (AR), air pollution is one of the risk factors that induces allergic sensitization and deteriorates the AR condition, but data are sometimes conflicting [ 7 ].…”