Air pollution is bad news for people with heart failure, researchers warn today.
The debilitating and incurable condition affects over 750,000 people in the UK, and accounts for about a million inpatient bed days annually.
Dr Anoop Shah and colleagues at Edinburgh University, UK, examined figures from 12 countries including the UK, covering more than four million heart failure cases. Information was gathered on particulate matter – solid and liquid particles such as soot and dust, suspended in the air.
Their analysis showed that short-term exposure to a range of air pollutants was linked to increased risk of hospitalisation and death among heart failure patients. The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation, and appears today (10 July) in the Lancet.
"We already know that air pollution is associated with an increased risk of having a heart attack," said Dr Shah. "Our study suggests that air pollution also affects patients with heart failure."
The team found that the effects were strongest for exposure to vehicle exhaust fumes. They estimate that cutting the levels of harmful particles in air would increase average life expectancy by seven to eight months.
Commenting on the findings, Joseph Clift of the British Heart Foundation said: "Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are living each day with the impact of heart failure. This study reveals air pollution could be making these already vulnerable people even more unwell.
"It’s vital that the UK government meets European Commission targets to improve air quality. The benefit would not only be felt by heart failure patients, but, by reducing the cost to the NHS, our economy too."
Shah, A. et al. Global association of air pollution and heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet 10 July 2013 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60898-3.
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