Effects of the short-term exposure to ambient air pollution on atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important arrhythmia associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study is focused on exploring the potential relationship between short-term air pollution exposure and occurrence of AF.

A case-crossover design was used to investigate the effect of pollutants on AF occurrence among 100 patients from 2013 to 2014. The air pollutants included ambient particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5 ), particulate matter less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3 ). Participants with cardiac implantable electronic devices implanted were followed-up to December 31, 2014.

A 10 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5 and PM10 was associated with 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4-6.2) and 2.7% (95% CI: 0.6-4.8) increase in the risk of AF occurrence, respectively. No statistically significant association was noted with SO2 , NO2 , CO, and O3 .

Short-term exposure to particular matter, both PM2.5 and PM10 , is associated with an increased risk of AF. This further demonstrates the urgency for air quality monitoring and control in geographical area with intense pollution.