Association between ambient air pollution and hospitalization caused by atrial fibrillation

Many studies have shown the worst effects of air pollution on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Present study focused on the relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF), as one of the common arrhythmias, and air pollutants in Isfahan, Iran, an industrial city in the Middle East.

A case-crossover design was used to explore the associations between air pollution and AF hospitalized patients with ventricular response (VR) > 90 beats per minute (bpm) (fast response) and those with VR ≤ 90 bpm. All patients' records were extracted from their hospital files. Air pollutants data including particulate matter less than 10 µ (PM10), PM2.5, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) were obtained from the Correlation of Air Pollution with Hospitalization and Mortality of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases (CAPACITY) study. Conditional logistic regression test was used to measure the relationship between pollutants and hospitalization due to AF.

Records of 369 patients, including 173 men (46.9%) who were hospitalized for AF during the study period and had complete data were extracted. Although a positive but not statistically significant relationship was shown between 10-unit increases in all pollutants (except PM10) and the hospitalization due to AF in patients with rapid VR (RVR), the only significant relationship was observed in case of NO2 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-2.1, P = 0.031].

This study showed positive significant relationships between NO2 and the hospitalization due to AF in patients with RVR. NO2 is a greenhouse gas whose levels are expected to increase due to global environmental changes. Therefore, relevant strategies should be adopted to decrease its levels, especially in industrial cities like Isfahan.