Air pollution puts women with diabetes at higher heart risk

A long-term U.S. study has attributed air pollution as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The study, published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association in Washington, noted that women with diabetes might be more susceptible to its effects than others.

The study showed that women with diabetes who were exposed to air pollution for long periods, might have a much higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

Jaime Hart, an epidemiologist at the Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, said researchers do not expect diabetes to be the strongest factor in determining susceptibility.

Hart, the study lead author, said they looked at age, family history of cardiovascular disease, weight, smoking status and region of the country, but diabetes was the most consistent across diseases and across different size fractions of particulate matter.

He said that the research team explored data from more than 100,000 participants in a long-term study called the Nurses’ Health Study.

“We focused at rates of cardiovascular disease, specifically incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Hart said that they also assessed long-term exposure to three different sizes of particulate matter (PM) air pollution from 1989 to 2006.

“Fine particulate pollutant smaller than 2.5 thousandths of a millimetre in diameter (PM2.5), PM10 and PM2.5-10. PM10 includes both PM2.5 and PM2.5-10.

He said that all women had small increases in risk of cardiovascular events with more air pollution exposure.

Hear added that the increased risk was statistically significant for all cardiovascular outcomes measured and across all sizes of particulate matter among women with diabetes.

“An increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air pollution in PM2.5, PM2.5-10 and PM 10 will raise a woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease by 44 per cent.

“Also an increase of 17 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, if she had Type 2 diabetes.

“The team discovers that these effects were greater among women 70 and older and obese women,’’ he said.

The study lead author said since the study participants were mostly white women of middle- and upper socioeconomic status, further research would be needed to determine if these patterns were also seen in men.