A study by a team of researchers in South Korea has found that long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased incidence of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) compared with non-STEMI (NSTEMI).

STEMI is a type of heart attack that occurs due to a prolonged blockage in one of the coronary arteries. ST elevation refers to a specific pattern on an electrocardiogram. In STEMI, there is a characteristic elevation of the ST segment on the ECG, indicating significant damage to the heart muscle.

In addition, the study found that exposure to PM₁₀ and SO₂ were associated with increased risk of in-hospital cardiogenic shock.

In-hospital cardiogenic shock refers to a condition in which the heart suddenly becomes unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, despite being in a hospital setting. It typically occurs as a complication of another serious cardiac event.

An open access paper on the study is published in Scientific Reports.

Previous studies have reported the association between myocardial infarction (MI) and air pollution (AP). However, limited information is available regarding the long-term effects of AP on the relative incidence rates of ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and Non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI). We investigated the association between long-term exposure to AP and the incidence of STEMI.

Between January 2006 and December 2015, a total of 45,619 eligible patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) were enrolled in the Korea Acute MI Registry (KAMIR) and KAMIR-National Institutes of Health. Mixed-effect regression models were used to examine the association between the annual average ambient AP before MI onset and the incidence of STEMI, and to evaluate the association of AP with the incidence of in-hospital cardiogenic shock. After mixed-effect regression model analysis, particulate matter (PM) 10 µm or less in diameter (PM₁₀) was associated with increased incidence of STEMI compared with NSTEMI (odds ratio [OR] 1.009, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.002–1.016; p = 0.012).

For in-hospital cardiogenic shock complication, PM₁₀ and SO₂ were associated with increased risk, PM10 (OR 1.033, 95% CI 1.018–1.050; p < 0.001), SO₂ (OR 1.104, 95% CI 1.006–1.212; p = 0.037), respectively. Policy-level strategies and clinical efforts to reduce AP exposure are necessary to prevent the incidence of STEMI and severe cardiovascular complications.

—Cha et al.

Resources

• Cha, J., Choi, S.Y., Rha, SW. et al. (2024) “Long-term air pollution exposure is associated with higher incidence of ST-elevation myocardial infarction and in-hospital cardiogenic shock.” Sci Rep 14, 4976 doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55682-6