United States: One big study observed that more time spent with long-term air pollution elevated the probability of clots that form in deep veins and if not treated, can lead to dangerous blood blockages and even fatality.
More about the news
These conclusions are derived from a Longitudinal Cohort funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with 6,651 American adults followed up for an average of 17 years between 2000-2018.
As per the reports, the participating individuals came from in or near major metropolitan areas: New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, nih.gov reported.
Findings of the study
3.7 percent of the sample used in the study suffered from blood clots in deep veins that led to hospitalization.
This increase in the likelihood of this outcome was associated with somewhere around 39 percent to a more than two-fold increased risk; the outcome is based on long-term exposure to three types of air pollutants.
Deep vein thrombosis, named venous thromboembolism (VTE), involves blood clots in deep veins of the legs, arms, or an internal organ, and pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot breaks off and is transported to the lungs.
Further explanation
Major air pollutants like particulates, nitric oxide, and sulfur dioxide, which trigger inflammation and cause blood clotting, are known to cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, nih.gov reported.
Previous studies have also found a connection to VTE, but the present study is the largest and the most comprehensive one in the United States to establish a connection with three types of air pollutants.
This encompassed fine particulate matter, such as pm 2.5 particulate matter, which is suspended in the air and can be inhaled from fuels burned in coal-fired power plants, forest fires, and automobile emissions.
Relative risks for VTE were 39 percent higher for persons with total exposure to this kind of air pollution than for those with less exposure.
Moreover, those with higher exposure to oxides of nitrogen and pollutants most often found that vehicle exhaust had an almost risen risk in the range of 121 percent to 174 percent.