Air pollution may cause stroke
DurgeshNandan Jha
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New Delhi:
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Air pollution which is known to cause poor lung and heart health may also cause a stroke, new research suggests.The findings of the research, which has been published in the British Medical Journal, are based on an analysis of 103 studies, involving 6.2 million hospitalizations and deaths because of stroke in 28 countries.
TOI spoke to India's top neurologists who said it was possible. “ At AIIMS too, we have initiated a study to analyze the link between air pollution and strokes,“ said Dr Kameshwar Prasad, professor and head of the neurology department. He added there has been a significant increase in stroke cases thta can't be explained by unhealthy lifestyle and other known risk factors.
Dr Shakir Hussain, chairman of Stroke & Neurointer vention Foundation, said more than 50% of the stroke patients that he sees are below 45 years of age. “Of them, some are non-smokers, who have normal blood pressure and do not have diabetes. The role of environmental factors in triggering neural disorders cannot be ruled out in such cases. It requires detailed investigation,“ he said.
Doctors say vehicular emissions include ultrafine particles and gases like carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide which get into the bloodstream. “These thicken the blood and also initiate formation of cytokines which trigger strokes,“ said Prasad.
The AIIMS study , he added, will involve assessing the date and time of stroke and the level of air pollution in their area.“Several studies held across the world, including the one in British Medical Journal, show a strong association between strokes and air pollution. In India, pollution levels in cities are very high and if our study reveals a similar association, we will urge the government to take action,“ said Prasad.
He said the role of pollutants is more prominent in ischaemic stroke cases in which the blood vessels supplying oxygenated blood to the brain get blocked. It constitutes nearly 85% of all cases. The rest are haemorrhagic stroke cases, in which bleeding from a damaged blood vessel in or around the brain damages or puts pressure on the brain tissue.
“In western countries, even 40 microgram per cubic metre of particulate matter is considered hazardous but the average presence of such pollutants in Delhi ranges from 150-200 microgram per cubic metre,“ said Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of Chest Research Foundation.
TOI spoke to India's top neurologists who said it was possible. “ At AIIMS too, we have initiated a study to analyze the link between air pollution and strokes,“ said Dr Kameshwar Prasad, professor and head of the neurology department. He added there has been a significant increase in stroke cases thta can't be explained by unhealthy lifestyle and other known risk factors.
Dr Shakir Hussain, chairman of Stroke & Neurointer vention Foundation, said more than 50% of the stroke patients that he sees are below 45 years of age. “Of them, some are non-smokers, who have normal blood pressure and do not have diabetes. The role of environmental factors in triggering neural disorders cannot be ruled out in such cases. It requires detailed investigation,“ he said.
Doctors say vehicular emissions include ultrafine particles and gases like carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide which get into the bloodstream. “These thicken the blood and also initiate formation of cytokines which trigger strokes,“ said Prasad.
The AIIMS study , he added, will involve assessing the date and time of stroke and the level of air pollution in their area.“Several studies held across the world, including the one in British Medical Journal, show a strong association between strokes and air pollution. In India, pollution levels in cities are very high and if our study reveals a similar association, we will urge the government to take action,“ said Prasad.
He said the role of pollutants is more prominent in ischaemic stroke cases in which the blood vessels supplying oxygenated blood to the brain get blocked. It constitutes nearly 85% of all cases. The rest are haemorrhagic stroke cases, in which bleeding from a damaged blood vessel in or around the brain damages or puts pressure on the brain tissue.
“In western countries, even 40 microgram per cubic metre of particulate matter is considered hazardous but the average presence of such pollutants in Delhi ranges from 150-200 microgram per cubic metre,“ said Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of Chest Research Foundation.
