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Long-term exposure to air pollution increases risk for deep vein thrombosis
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A study from the Lombardy region of Italy found that increased exposure to particulate air pollution was associated with shortened prothrombin time and an increased risk for deep vein thrombosis.
In previous studies, particulate air pollution has been shown to be associated with myocardial infarction and stroke. It was hypothesized that this could be a result of enhanced coagulation and arterial thrombosis. This study examined coagulation and DVT risk and their relationships to exposure to particulate pollution.
The study included 870 patients with DVT and 1,210 control patients. A higher mean level of exposure to particulate matter smaller than 10 mcm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) was associated with a shortened prothrombin time in both DVT and control patients (P=.04 for both groups).
For every increase of 10 mcg/m3 in PM10, the risk for DVT increased by 70% (OR=1.70; 95% CI, 1.30-2.23). This association was approximately linear for the observed range of PM10. The correlation between PM10 level and DVT risk was weaker among women than men, particularly among women using oral contraceptives or hormone therapy.
“Several studies in animal models and in humans have shown that particulate matter, inhaled into the lungs, causes inflammation in the lungs,” Andrea Bacarrelli, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Milan, said in a press release. “The inflammation can expand into the cell body, so that the incidence of coagulation is increased.”
The investigators wrote that if these findings can be corroborated and expanded on, they “give further substance to the call for tighter standards and continued efforts aimed at reducing the effect of urban air pollutants on human health.”
For more information:
- Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:920-927.