CLEAN AIR FOR ALL

Air pollution causes irregular heartbeat almost immediately

Nitrogen dioxide was found to cause the most problems
Kat Lay
, Health Editor
The Times
The authors of a new study said their findings highlighted the importance of reducing people’s exposure to air pollution
The authors of a new study said their findings highlighted the importance of reducing people’s exposure to air pollution
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Kat Lay
, Health Editor
The Times

Exposure to air pollution almost immediately increases the risk of heart rhythm problems, a study has found.

Researchers discovered a link between raised pollution levels and patients going to hospital with conditions such as atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, types of irregular heart rhythm that increase the risk of stroke. In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart beat irregularly. In atrial flutter, they beat regularly but much faster than usual.

The study was based on data from more than 2,000 Chinese hospitals and air-quality data from nearby monitoring stations. It included more than 190,000 patients with heart rhythm problems.

“We found that acute exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with increased risk of symptomatic arrhythmia,” said Dr Renjie Chen of the School