Taking a Stand Against Air Pollution - The Impact on Cardiovascular Disease: A Joint Opinion from the World Heart Federation, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology

Although the attention of the world and the global health community specifically is deservedly focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, other determinants of health continue to have large impacts and may also interact with COVID-19. Air pollution is one crucial example. Established evidence from other resp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global heart 2021-01, Vol.16 (1), p.8
Main Authors: Brauer, Michael, Casadei, Barbara, Harrington, Robert A, Kovacs, Richard, Sliwa, Karen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute Disease
air pollution
Air Pollution - adverse effects
American Heart Association
Cardiology
cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology
Cardiovascular Diseases - metabolism
Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology
Chronic Disease
climate
COVID-19
cvd
Environmental Health
environmental health impacts
Europe
Global Health
Heart Disease Risk Factors
Humans
Inflammation
Oxidative Stress
SARS-CoV-2
Societies, Medical
United States
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Summary:Although the attention of the world and the global health community specifically is deservedly focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, other determinants of health continue to have large impacts and may also interact with COVID-19. Air pollution is one crucial example. Established evidence from other respiratory viruses and emerging evidence for COVID-19 specifically indicates that air pollution alters respiratory defense mechanisms leading to worsened infection severity. Air pollution also contributes to co-morbidities that are known to worsen outcomes amongst those infected with COVID-19, and air pollution may also enhance infection transmission due to its impact on more frequent coughing. Yet despite the massive disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are reasons for optimism: broad societal lockdowns have shown us a glimpse of what a future with strong air pollution measures could yield. Thus, the urgency to combat air pollution is not diminished, but instead heightened in the context of the pandemic.
ISSN:2211-8160
2211-8179
DOI:10.5334/GH.948