Study air pollution increases the high blood pressure risk

Nitrogen dioxide produced by factories and cars can lead to hypertension
Air pollution puts a strain on our health. Especially in cities, the air pollution is sometimes so strong that we can experience negative effects very quickly on our own body. Researchers now found that short- and long-term exposure to vehicle fume pollution or coal burning is associated with high blood pressure.

Many people are suffering from high blood pressure and now researchers from the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention found out in an investigation that airborne hypertension risk is compounded by air pollution. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Hypertension".

Cars and power plants pollute the air with their exhaust gases. This can cause health problems, such as high blood pressure. (Image: fotohansel / fotolia.com)

Study examines data from more than 300,000 subjects
Since the 1990s, many researchers have hypothesized that air pollution increases the risk of hypertension, said lead author Tao Liu of the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Guangzhou, China. For the new study, researchers now analyzed the data from 17 studies on air pollution and hypertension. Overall, these studies involved more than 80,000 people with high blood pressure and more than 220,000 subjects without high blood pressure, explain the physicians.

Air pollution can cause inflammation and oxidative stress
The physicians found out in the new study that the short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels and particles such as dust and dirt in the air was associated with the risk of high blood pressure. The long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide, for example, was caused by power plants or car exhaust gases, explain the experts. Air pollution can cause inflammation and oxidative stress, which can then lead to changes in the arteries, the authors write.

Even very low concentrations of air pollution can trigger hypertension
There is a linear relationship between air pollution and hypertension. Even a very low level of air pollution can cause hypertension, said Liu Reuters Health via email. Therefore, everyone should be concerned about the effects of air pollution on their own blood pressure, even if air pollution is very low in their living environment. Of course, it is impossible to remove all air pollutants from our environment, Liu adds.

Where does hypertension occur??
Hypertension is an often-occurring vascular disease. In the case of the disease, the pressure that the blood exerts on the blood vessels at each heartbeat is too high. Too high a blood pressure can arise in different systems of our body. Mostly, the term is used for the high blood pressure form, the doctors call arterial hypertension. Further studies, especially multicenter studies, are now needed to investigate a causal link between air pollution and hypertension, said lead author Liu. (As)