An analysis of 17 years of data from 6 major U.S. cities finds residents exposed to higher levels of air pollution are more likely to develop blood clots.
Breathing in dirty air may raise your risk of developing dangerous blood clots.
In a new study, people exposed to long-term air pollution were more likely to be diagnosed with a VTE or blood clot in the vein.
There are two types of VTE– deep vein thrombosis, when a clot forms in a deep vein in the leg or arm, and a pulmonary embolism when a clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs. Both can be life-threatening.
Researchers followed nearly 67-hundred adults who lived in or near one of six U.S. cities monitoring their health and air quality. Over 17 years, about 250 of them were hospitalized with VTE.
Participants with high exposure to fine particulate matter — from things like power plants and wildfires — were 39% more likely to suffer a clot.
Those with chronic exposure to nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide — most often from vehicle exhaust — were 121% to 174% more likely.
The authors say these findings “add to accumulating evidence of adverse health effects attributed to air pollution exposure.”
Source: Blood
Author Affiliations: University of Minnesota, University of Washington, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, University of Vermont
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