Environment and CVD: moving from Risk Prediction to Risk Management

Area of Science:

• Environmental science
• Cardiovascular medicine
• Public health

Background:

• Environmental factors significantly contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden.
• Growing evidence links various environmental exposures to adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a framework for assessing cardiovascular risk associated with environmental pollutants.
• To raise awareness of risks from environmental factors and outline intervention strategies.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing scientific literature on environmental exposures and cardiovascular health.
• Consideration of the exposome paradigm to encompass total environmental impact.
• Exploration of artificial intelligence (AI) for integrated risk analysis.

Main Results:

• Established links between environmental exposures (air pollution, noise, light, built environment, temperature) and cardiovascular outcomes.
• Environmental exposures represent a significant portion of modifiable residual cardiovascular risk.
• Risk can be reduced through policy interventions and individual actions.

Conclusions:

• Environmental factors are critical, modifiable determinants of cardiovascular health.
• Policy-level interventions and AI-driven approaches are key to mitigating environmental cardiovascular risk.
• Integrated risk assessment and targeted interventions can improve cardiovascular outcomes.