Environmental factors, weather may predict STEMI occurrence up to 3 days sooner
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Changes in environmental and weather conditions may be able to predict STEMI up to 3 days before an event and subsequently, researchers showed.
Additionally, concentrations of nitric oxide were also predictive the day before and the day of the occurrence of STEMI.
“Climate and pollution need to be considered as novel cardiovascular risk factors for atherothrombosis, and may indeed be used to prepare patients and health care systems in order to minimize morbidity and mortality,” Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai, MD, of the department of medical-surgical sciences and biotechnologies at Sapienza University of Rome, told Healio. “We were surprised by finding such evident associations between STEMI and both weather and environment features, given that as individuals we feel accustomed to minor changes in them, and would not imagine that they can take such a deadly toll.”
According to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers assessed the bivariate and multivariable association between STEMI and measurements of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, ozone, particulate matter smaller than 10 m (PM10) and smaller than 2.5 m (PM2.5), temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity and rainfall.
Environmental factors predicting STEMI
Researchers observed that concentrations of carbon monoxide (P = .024), nitric oxide (P = .039), ozone (P = .003), PM10 (P = .033) and PM2.5 (P = .042) were predictive of incidents of STEMI as soon as 3 days before the event, as well as subsequently.
Moreover, concentrations of nitric oxide alone were predictive of STEMI up to 1 day before and on the day of the event (P = .01).
“While causation cannot be directly inferred from our work, concentrations of carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, PM10, ozone and PM2.5 were all individually capable of predicting STEMI risk well before the adverse event,” the researchers wrote. “In particular, these features changed significantly as early as 3 days before the event, with increasing values being associated with an increased risk (with the notable exclusion of ozone). Pollutant concentrations also predicted STEMI risk on a shorter term (ie, 2 days later, 1 day later or on the same day).”
Ability of weather to predict STEMI
In other findings, variables such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity and rainfall were also predictive of STEMI up to 1 day before and on the day of the event (P for all < .05).
“Clinicians and patients alike need to be aware that climate and pollution changes may have an important toll on patients and society at large, in terms of mortality, morbidity and resources,” Biondi-Zoccai said in an interview. “Indeed, even if their effects on individuals might appear tiny (albeit still significant and measurable), their impact on populations (eg, cities, counties, regions, states and nations) is enormous given that all patients (even those without clinical disease) are exposed, and the exposition is continuous and occurs every day for all individual's life.”
For more information:
Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai, MD, can be reached at giuseppe.biondizoccai@uniroma1.it.
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