The impact of air pollution with the particulate matter on the development of cardiovascular diseases (literature review)

Abstract

Air pollution constitutes a severe threat to human health. It is recognized as an essential risk factor for morbidity and mortality, contributing primarily to the development of cardiovascular pathology - arterial hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke. A decrease in air pollution is accompanied by reducing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Researches on CVD mechanisms development under the influence of air pollutants keep on being conducted. The main biological pathways are inflammation and oxidative stress, causing cascades of synergistic pathophysiological reactions. The most significant harm is caused by the particulate matter (PM) and ultrafine particles PM0.1 (less than 0.1 microns) with the highest penetrating ability. Air pollution by PM can have adverse effects with both prolonged and short-term exposure. The elderly patients with CVD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity are more vulnerable to exposure to pollutants. The purpose of this work is to generalize data on the issue of the interconnection of air pollution with particulate matter and cardiovascular diseases obtained over the past decade and a half. A literature search was conducted in MedLine, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar databases. The results of studies on exposure to air pollutants may vary due to differences in concentration, the composition of pollutants, duration of exposure, study design, characteristics of study participants, etc. In addition, susceptibility to air pollution can vary under the influence of other factors - economic, environmental, social, etc. The nature of atmospheric air pollution has been studied in many industrial centres of Russia. Still, only a few studies have been devoted to its effect on the country’s cardiovascular system. Awareness of this problem remains insufficient to date.