| BACKGROUND: 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.
METHODS: 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 (PM 10 ), PM 2.5 , carbon
monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and ozone (O 3 ) 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.
RESULTS: 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 PM 10 ) and the
hospitalization due to AF in patients with rapid VR (RVR), the only significant relationship was
observed in case of NO 2 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-2.1, P = 0.031].
CONCLUSION: This study showed positive significant relationships between NO 2 and the
hospitalization due to AF in patients with RVR. NO 2 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. |