Tiny particles in air pollution can be dangerous for people with heart attack as it can hinder their heart's ability to conduct electrical signals, Harvard University researchers report.
The tiny particles emitted from air pollution can cause ST-segment depression in people with serious coronary artery disease. This dysrhythmia can indicate inadequate blood flow to the heart or inflammation of the heart muscle, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
For the study, the researchers from the Harvard University studied the electrocardiograms of the 48 patients, who had recently been hospitalized for heart attack, unstable angina or worsening symptoms of coronary heart disease over the course of a year.
Lead researcher Dr. Diane R. Gold, an associate professor of medicine and environmental health and his team found that the instances of ST-segment depression increased with every increase in the particles and black carbon in the air.
Effects were seen greatest within the first month after hospitalization and for patients who had been hospitalized for a heart attack or had diabetes, showed unusual changes called ST-segment depression.
For patients who have just been discharged from hospital after a heart attack, guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology suggest that patients should avoid heavy traffic because of the stress of driving.
Authors of the study now say heart-disease patients should limit their time outdoors if they live in a highly polluted city. It is not known how the carbon and air particles cause ST-segment depression and researchers say that further research is needed to evaluate whether the pollution-related ST-segment depression.
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