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Relationship between deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease--environmental implications
E Stoupel1, J Petrauskiene, E Abramson
1Division of Cardiology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology
|August 13, 1999
Summary
Environmental factors like solar and geomagnetic activity show a significant link to stroke and ischemic heart disease deaths in Lithuania. This correlation was stronger in women and specific age groups, suggesting complex environmental influences on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Cardiovascular Epidemiology
- Geophysics
Background:
- Stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD) are leading causes of mortality globally.
- Environmental factors are increasingly recognized for their potential impact on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health.
- Previous research has explored links between environmental exposures and specific diseases, but comprehensive analysis of physical environmental parameters and their relation to the stroke/IHD death ratio is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the ratio of deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease and fluctuations in physical environmental parameters in Lithuania.
- To determine if environmental factors, including solar activity, geomagnetic activity, and proton flux, correlate with mortality patterns from these cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of monthly mortality data for stroke and ischemic heart disease in Lithuania from 1990-1995 (72 months).
- Correlation analysis was performed between the stroke/IHD death ratio and five physical environmental parameters.
- Subgroup analysis was conducted for gender and age groups (e.g., 65-74 years) for specific environmental factors like proton flux.
Main Results:
- A highly significant adverse correlation was found between the stroke/IHD death ratio and solar activity (r = -0.64, p = 0.0001).
- The planetary geomagnetic activity index also showed a significant adverse correlation with the death ratio (r = -0.33, p = 0.005).
- Proton flux (> 60 MeV) correlated significantly with the death ratio in the 65-74-year age group (r = -0.36, p = 0.03) over a 36-month period.
Conclusions:
- The monthly ratio of deaths from stroke/ischemic heart disease in Lithuania is significantly related to environmental physical activity, including solar and geomagnetic activity.
- Environmental influences on the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease and cerebral vascular accidents may vary with age.
- These findings highlight the potential role of environmental factors in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality, warranting further investigation into specific mechanisms.