, disturbance of circadian rhythm, and economic disparities such as limited access to health care.
Adverse air quality increases the risk of many cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis and, as a result, the incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death. In addition, acute and chronic increases in air pollution increase the risk of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, heart failure incidence, and heart failure-related hospitalizations.
Cavin K. Ward-Caviness, Ph.D., and Wayne E. Cascio, MD, both of the US Environmental Protection Agency, found substantial evidence linking air pollution exposure to heart failure incidence and related hospitalizations. They propose that further studies specifically to identify data gaps will greatly improve our knowledge of the susceptibility of individuals with heart failure and interventions to reduce risks.
Khalid Al-Thalji, MD, University of Toronto, and colleagues describe how to incorporate environmental cardiology into medical education to create climate-smart cardiovascular health care providers to minimize the cardiovascular effects of climate change in patients and the general population, improve awareness of these effects, and create climate change advocates within the cardiovascular community.