Air Pollution puts women with

Diabetes at higher heart risk

WASHINGTON Air pollution is a
major
risk factor for cardiovascular
disease, and women with diabetes
may be more susceptible to its
effects than others, a long-term US
study said Wednesday.
The study, published in the Journal
of the American Heart Association,
found that women with diabetes
who are exposed to air pollution for
long periods may have a much
higher risk for cardiovascular
disease.
We didnt expect diabetes to be
the strongest factor in determining
susceptibility, study lead author
Jaime Hart, an epidemiologist at
the Boston-based Brigham and
Womens Hospital and Harvard T.
H. Chan School of Public Health.
We looked at age, family history of
cardiovascular disease, weight,
smoking status and region of the
country but diabetes was the most
consistent across diseases and
across different size fractions of
particulate matter, Hart said.
The research team explored data
from more than 100,000
participants in a long-term study
called the Nurses Health Study,
looking at rates of cardiovascular
disease, specifically incidence of
coronary heart disease and stroke.
They assessed long-term exposure
to three different sizes of
particulate matter (PM) air pollution

from 1989 to 2006: Fine particulate

pollutant smaller than 2.5
thousandths of a millimeter in
diameter (PM2.5), PM10 and PM2.510. PM10 includes both PM2.5 and
PM2.5-10.
While all women had small
increases in risk of cardiovascular
events with more air pollution
exposure, the increased risk was
statistically significant for all
cardiovascular outcomes measured
and across all sizes of particulate
matter among women with
diabetes.
According to the team, an increase
of 10 micrograms per cubic meter
of air pollution in PM2.5, PM2.5-10
and PM 10 will raise a womans risk
of cardiovascular disease by 44
percent, 17 percent and 19
percent, respectively, if she had
type 2 diabetes.
The team found that these effects
were greater among women 70 and
older and obese women.
Since the study participants were
mostly white women of middle- and
upper-socioeconomic status,
further research will be needed to
determine if these patterns are also
seen in men and in racially and
socioeconomically diverse
populations, they added.

Gomez, Joan Marie

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