Exposure to Extreme Temperatures, Pollution Linked to MI Death

MONDAY, July 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to extreme temperature events (ETEs) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is associated with myocardial infarction (MI) mortality, according to a study published in the July 25 issue of Circulation.

Ruijun Xu, M.D., from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, and colleagues conducted a case-crossover study of 202,678 MI deaths in Jiangsu province, China, from 2015 to 2020 to examine the association of exposure to ETEs and PM_2.5 with MI mortality.

The researchers found that the odds ratio of MI mortality associated with heat waves and cold spells ranged from 1.18 to 1.74 and 1.04 to 1.12, respectively, using different ETE definitions. A significant association was seen for lag 01-day exposure to PM_2.5 with increased odds of MI mortality, which was attenuated at higher exposures. A significant synergistic interaction was seen for heat wave and PM_2.5 on MI mortality, which was higher for heat wave with greater intensities and longer durations. Up to 2.8 percent of the MI deaths were attributable to ETE and PM_2.5 exposure at levels exceeding the interim target 3 value of the World Health Organization air quality guidelines (37.5 µg/m³). Women and older adults were more vulnerable to ETEs and PM_2.5; there was no variation in the interactive effects of ETEs or PM_2.5 on MI mortality across sex, age, or socioeconomic status.

"Our findings provide crucial evidence that mitigating exposure to ETEs and PM_2.5 may be useful to prevent premature deaths from MI and highlight great public health significance to take particulate pollution into consideration when providing ETE warning services to the public," the authors write.

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