- TAIPEI (Sapa-DPA) -- City
air pollution can greatly increase a person's chances of having a stroke,
according to Taiwanese researchers.
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- Scientists in Taiwan found a clear link between increasing
levels of two common pollutants and hospital stroke admissions, especially
on warm days.
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- The researchers collected data on 23 179 stroke patients
between 1997 and 2000 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan's largest city and an industrial
centre.
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- They found that as exposure to sooty particles called
PM10s and nitrogen dioxide went up, so did the number of stroke admissions.
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- Pollution levels on admission dates were compared with
those one week before and one week after patients were admitted.
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- From this it was possible to calculate the effect of
pollution on stroke risk.
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- "For every PM10 change of 66.33 micrograms per cubic
metre the risk of being admitted to hospital with a stroke caused by a
burst blood vessel in the brain rose 54%."
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- A similar risk increase was produced by every extra 7.08
parts per billion of nitrogen dioxide.
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- "The effect was most noticeable on warm days when
the temperature rose above 20C, or 68F."
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- Professor Chun-Yuh Yang, from Kaohsiung Medical University,
who led the research, said: "This study provides new evidence that
higher levels of ambient pollutants increase the risk of hospital admissions
for stroke, especially on warm days."
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- The findings were published in the American Heart Association
journal, Stroke.
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- Previous studies have shown associations between air
pollution and daily death rates for lung and heart disease. But there has
been conflicting evidence regarding stroke.
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- Many experts suspect that air pollution may affect blood
volume and the resistance of blood vessels and heart structures.
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- Professor Yang said further work could lead to drugs
that might protect people from short-term exposure to pollutants - for
instance, during rush-hour traffic.
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- "In hot weather, we recommend that people avoid
pollution, stay inside and use an air conditioner if needed," he said."
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