Air pollution may cause stroke: Study

The Times of India , Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Correspondent : Durgesh Nandan Jha
NEW DELHI: Air pollution which is known to cause poor lung and heart health may also cause a stroke, a new research suggests.

The findings of the research, which has been published in 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 also, we have initiated a study to analyze the link between air pollution and stroke," said Dr Kameshwar Prasad, professor and head of the neurology department. He added that there has been a significant increase in stroke cases in the country which cannot be explained by unhealthy lifestyle and other identified risk factors alone.

Dr Shakir Hussain, chairman of Stroke & Neurointervention 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.

The doctors say vehicular emissions include ultrafine particles and gases such as carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide which get into the bloodstream. "The pollutants cause thickening of the blood and also initiate formation of cytokines which trigger stroke," said Prasad.

The AIIMS study, he added, would involve assessing the date and time of stroke in admitted patients and the level of air pollution in their localities.

"Several studies conducted in other parts of the world, including the recent one from British Medical Journal, clearly show strong association between incidence of strokes and air pollution. In India, the pollution levels in cities are very high and if our study reveals a similar association then we would urge the government to take action," said Prasad.

He said 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 stroke 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.

Recently, National Green Tribunal banned all diesel-run vehicles over 10 years old in Delhi.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Air-pollution-may-cause-stroke-Study/articleshow/46994690.cms
 


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