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Air-pollution tied to stroke death

Traffic-related air pollution may be linked to a higher death rate among people who initially survived strokes.

Air-pollution tied to stroke death

Traffic-related air pollution may be linked to a higher death rate among people who initially survived strokes.

The impact of air pollution on survival after stroke is unknown. To examine this, researchers studied 3320 men and women who lived in a specific south London region and had a first stroke between 1995 and 2005. The researchers used 2002 estimates of two common traffic pollutants - nitrogen dioxide and small, inhalable particles called particulate matter (less than 10 micrometre in diameter)- linked to breathing difficulties and other health problems. All of the areas were typical of London. The low-pollution areas typically did not have major roads running through them. The higher pollution areas had levels of nitrogen dioxide that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consider the U.S. average.

The study reported more deaths in the higher polluted neighborhoods - 975 of 1659 patients, or about 59 percent, in high nitrogen dioxide neighborhoods and 967 of 1658 patients, or about 58 percent, in high particulate matter areas. That compared to 881 of 1661 patients, or about 53 percent, in an area less polluted by high nitrogen dioxide, and 889 of 1662 patients, or about 53 percent, in an area less polluted by high particulate matter. Thus the risk of dying increased 28 percent when nitrogen dioxide levels rose by just 10 micrograms per cubic meters of air while a similar increase in particulate matter increased death risk by 52 percent.

Risk for death remained higher with greater air pollution exposure after the investigators took into account a number of other factors associated with stroke death including age, gender, ethnicity, smoking and alcohol use, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. The researchers suggest that improvements in outdoor air quality might contribute to better survival after stroke.

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