Air Pollution May Increase The Risk Of High Blood Pressure

Exposure to air pollutants like vehicle exhaust and burning of fossil fuels may increase the risk of high blood pressure in humans, reports a recent study. Researchers noted that both long and short term exposure to air pollution have roles to play in increasing blood pressure.

The Chinese researchers analyzed 17 different studies conducted earlier to find the association between air pollution and hypertension. The findings were published in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

"In our analysis of 17 previously published studies we discovered a significant risk of developing high blood pressure due to exposure to air pollution," says Tao Liu, lead study author from the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health in China, noted South China Morning Post. "People should limit their exposure on days with higher air pollution levels, especially for those with high blood pressure; even very short-term exposure can aggravate their conditions."

About 108,000 patients with high blood pressure and 220,000 people without the condition were studied by the researchers in their meta-analysis, according to NDTV. The investigators found that short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide, emitted into the atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels and particulates like dirt and dust increased the risk of high blood pressure in humans.

Meanwhile, long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere from vehicle exhaust and emission from power plants is linked to hypertension, reported the researchers. It is also noted that no association between hypertension and short-term exposure to carbon monoxide and ozone were established in the study.

"There is a linear relationship between air pollution and hypertension, which indicated that even a very low level of air pollution might induce hypertension risk," Liu told Reuters Health by email. "Therefore, everyone should be concerned about the effects of air pollution on their blood pressure even if there is a very low air pollution level in their living environment."

Dr. Gaetano Santulli of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who was not a part of the study noted that without establishing a clear mechanism it is impossible to come to a conclusion that pollution causes hypertension. However, he noted that many epidemiological studies have proven the association between smoking and cancer.