THURSDAY, Sept. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) — There is a significant association between short-term exposure to air pollutants and the incidence and mortality rate of stroke, according to a review published online Sept. 27 in Neurology.

Ahmad Toubasi, M.D., and Thuraya N. Al-Sayegh, M.D., from the University of Jordan in Amman, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the correlation between short-term exposure to air pollutants and stroke. A total of 110 observational studies, with 18,035,408 cases of ischemic stroke, were included in the analysis. Short-term exposure was defined as exposure within five days of stroke onset.

The researchers found that stroke incidence was significantly associated with an increase in the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and particulate matter with diameters of less than 1.0 µm, less than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5), and less than 10 µm (PM₁₀; relative risks, 1.28, 1.05, 1.26, 1.15, 1.09, 1.15, and 1.14, respectively). In addition, significant associations were seen for increases in the concentration of NO₂, SO₂, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ with increased stroke mortality (relative risks, 1.33, 1.60, 1.09, and 1.02, respectively).

“There is a strong and significant association between air pollution and the occurrence of stroke as well as death from stroke within five days of exposure,” Toubasi said in a statement. “This highlights the importance of global efforts to create policies that reduce air pollution. Doing so may reduce the number of strokes and their consequences.”

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