Researchers at Queen Mary University in London have found significant evidence that particulate matter form diesel pollution can cause heart damage.
"There is strong evidence that particulate matter [PM] emitted mainly from diesel road vehicles is associated with increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, and death," Dr. Nay Aung, a cardiologist at the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, said in a press release. "This appears to be driven by an inflammatory response -- inhalation of fine particulate matter [PM2.5] causes localized inflammation of the lungs followed by a more systemic inflammation affecting the whole body."
PM2.5 causes systemic inflammation, vasoconstriction and raised blood pressure, which when combined puts increased pressure on the heart. The result is an enlarged heart to cope with the overload, which reduces the contractile efficiency leading to a reduction of function.
The study was conducted on 4,255 participants with an average age of 62 from the UK Biobank, a large community-based cohort study.