Can the air make you sick?

October 20, 1:20 AMHealth ExaminerAngela Spears

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Pollution may lead to heart failure
 

Scientists are concerned that air pollution – long associated with lung disease – may be the culprit in the significant increase in heart failure in the United States.

At a recent annual meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) doctors showed a correlation between fine particulate air pollution (soot) exposures and an increase in cardiovascular disease. And those high levels of pollution may lead to a higher incidence of heart failure, and to hospitalizations among patients being treated for heart failure.

Heart failure affects from 4.6 to 4.8 million individuals in the United States. Demographic and clinical evidence strongly suggest the prevalence of heart failure will increase throughout the next decade. Advances in treatment show that early diagnosis and proper care in early stages of the condition are key to slowing, stopping or in some cases reversing progression.

 “Air pollution in relation to heart failure is an important topic as the rate of heart failure is increasing in this country and environmental factors may be important in understanding this increase. The association between these emphasizes the need to further study the mechanisms through which pollution causes and/or worsens heart disease and also means of prevention and addresses the need for investigation to determine the correlation and possible solutions associated with the relationship between small particle air pollution and cardiovascular diseases," said Dr. Barry Greenberg, HFSA President, and Professor of Medicine, and Director, Advanced Heart Failure Treatment Program, University of California, San Diego.

Heart failure usually occurs when another problem makes the heart weak or stiff so it doesn’t pump or fill normally. A common cause of heart failure is heart attack. The medical term of heart failure is ischemic cardiomyopathy. Other causes include high blood pressure, infection of the heart muscle, lung disease, diabetes, and problems with the heart valves. Drinking too much alcohol for a long time also can cause heart failure.

 What may surprise many people is that while air pollution is normally associated with lung disorders, it actually causes heart problems. Of course, air pollution is inhaled first, so technically, the first place to see effects is in the lungs. But data from large studies show that the biggest effect of air pollution is on the cardiovascular system. Do air pollutants trigger reactions in the lung that cause effects elsewhere in the body, or do these pollutants go directly into circulation after inhalation to affect the cardiovascular system?

Other considerations presented included whether particulate air matter has an effect on inflammation and hypertension, and if these added stress factors are what in turn trigger heart disease as a result. Scientists say it is still too early into the research on particulate air pollution to give specific recommendations for prevention or actions to take. But the evidence is growing that during times of heavy pollution or in places where air pollution is most severe, complications of heart failure can get worse for those diagnosed with the condition.

Many people with heart failure lead normal, active lives. They do so because they learn to take care of themselves. You can take control of heart failure by understanding and carefully following your treatment plan. The Heart Failure Society of America has prepared a series of modules to help you learn to live successfully with heart failure.