Air pollution increases blood pressure

Human blood pressure increases if we are exposed to polluted air in cities for long periods of time.

Traffic participants in Ho Chi Minh City.Photo: National Geographic.

Many previous studies have demonstrated that exposure to polluted air in the city daily raises blood pressure. However, no research has shown the impact of exposure to polluted air in the medium and long term.

The higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk of coronary arteriosclerosis - the cause of many heart diseases such as heart attack and stroke - the higher.

The BBC said that scientists from the University of Dusiburg-Essen in Germany analyzed medical data of 5,000 people to find out the causes of increased heart disease rates in urban residents. The team explored the effects of air pollution on blood pressure of people from 2000 to 2003.

The results showed that blood pressure of urban residents actually increased after exposure to dirty air regularly for a long time. The greater the density of micro particles in the air, the higher the level of human hypertension. The increase in women is greater than that of men.

Dr. Barbara Hoffman, head of the Department of Clinical and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Duisburg-Essen, said: 'Our study shows that living in areas with higher levels of air pollution increases the risk of hypertension The bigger the pressure. Therefore, we should limit our exposure to air pollution in the possibility. '

Hoffman said the link between increased blood pressure and exposure to dirty air remains the same after experts exclude factors that affect blood pressure, such as age, gender, and smoking habits. Leaf and body weight.

Judy O'Sullivan, a heart disease specialist from the British Heart Association, said: 'We know there is a link between air pollution and heart disease, but we don't know the true nature of the connection. that system. The results of the study by Hoffman and colleagues helped us realize something remarkable, that air pollution can raise blood pressure, a factor that leads to heart disease. '