1 hr ago

Environmental Risks Beyond Cholesterol Are Reshaping Heart Prevention

Doctors usually check cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, smoking and weight to estimate heart risk.

But the places where people live and work can also affect their hearts.

Dirty air can cause inflammation and make blood clot more easily.

Lead from old homes, soil or water systems may harm adults as well as children.

Loud traffic, aircraft and trains can disturb sleep and keep the body stressed.

Very hot weather makes the heart work harder, especially in older people and those with heart disease.

Wildfire smoke can spread tiny particles over long distances.

Doctors could ask patients more about these exposures.

Governments can also help by improving air quality, replacing lead pipes and reducing pollution and noise.

Key facts

Traditional risk measures: Cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, smoking and weight remain central to cardiovascular prevention.
Air-pollution estimate: A 2019 European Heart Journal study estimated 8.8 million excess deaths globally each year associated with air pollution.
Lead study population: A cohort study in The Lancet Public Health followed 14,289 American adults for a median of more than 19 years.
Lead mortality estimate: The study estimated that low-level lead exposure was associated with approximately 256,000 cardiovascular deaths annually in the United States.
Noise evidence: A 2024 Circulation Research review examined links between environmental noise and ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and stroke.
Noise effects: Traffic, aircraft and railway noise can disrupt sleep and repeatedly activate the body's stress response.
Heat vulnerability: Older adults and people with existing cardiovascular disease are described as particularly vulnerable during extreme heat.
Proposed response: The article recommends environmental-history questions, use of pollution and noise data, and source-level measures such as cleaner transport and lead-pipe replacement.

NDTV · 1 hr ago