Impact of Gaseous Pollutants on the Incidence of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Case Study from Karachi, Pakistan
Haider Khwaja, OMOSEHIN MOYEBI, Zafar Fatmi, Azhar Siddique, Mirza M. Hussain, David Carpenter, Wadsworth Center, University at Albany
Abstract Number: 428
Working Group: Health-Related Aerosols
Abstract
No prior studies exist in Karachi, Pakistan evaluating the short-term effect of ambient air pollution on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In this study, we adopted a generalized linear model to quantitatively analyze the influences of gaseous pollutants (NO, NO2, O3, SO2, and HNO3) on morbidity due to CVDs. Daily samples of gaseous pollutants were collected at an urban site in Karachi. Increased risk of morbidity due to CVDs including CVD subtypes [hypertension (HTN), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial infarction (MI), congestive heart failure (CHF), and arrhythmias] with gaseous pollutants were observed to be significantly correlated. NO, O3 and SO2 exhibited strong significant associations with both total CVD and all the subtypes. Increase in NO caused a rise in total CVD at lag 1, 2, 3, and 5. O3 and SO2 showed a significant relationships to CVD hospital admissions (HAs) and emergency room visits (ER visits) at all the lag days (lag 0 – 5). Immediate effect was observed between NO and O3 exposures with total CVD at lag 1 and 2, while SO2 has a delayed effect at lags 3 and 4. NO2 was significantly associated with total CVD on the day of exposure, while HNO3 exhibited a statistically significant association with total CVD at lag 4. The largest significant effect for O3 on arrhythmias was observed at the same day (RR= 1.20; 95%CI: 1.12 – 1.29). The gender, age, and seasonal significant association between pollutants and CVD did show differences in the magnitude. However, the risk of HAs and ER visits due to CVD was stronger among age-group 40 – 60. Exposure-response curve with NO and SO2 was observed to have S-shaped relationship with CVD, while O3 exhibited a J-shaped relationship with CVD. This confirmed that exposure to gaseous pollutants even at low concentrations can adversely impact the quality of life.