Air Pollution: Negative Impact on Your Body and Your Mind

HealthDay TV

Air pollution may have a negative impact on both your body and your mind, according to two new studies.

In the first, researchers looked at the association between short-term air pollution exposure and stroke.

They analyzed data from 103 studies conducted in 28 countries.

According to the the results, it was found that a link exists between carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, and stroke related hospital admissions or death. 

 The second study examined the association between particulate air pollution and anxiety. Particulate air pollution is a mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets, including things like nitrates, sulfates and metals.

More than 71,000 women between 57 and 85 years old were included. Their exposure to particulate matter was estimated 5 times over 15 years, and each participant also filled out anxiety questionnaires.

The data revealed that higher past exposure to fine particulate matter was associated with high symptoms of anxiety, especially with more recent exposures. An accompanying editorial says these two studies “confirm the urgent need to manage air pollution globally as a cause of ill health.”  HealthDay TV

Air Pollution

Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it's also called smog.

Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance you'll have health problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside - the air insidebuildings can also be polluted and affect your health. 

Environmental Protection Agency

Stroke

A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

Symptoms of stroke are

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

If you have any of these symptoms, you must get to a hospital quickly to begin treatment. Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the blood clot or by stopping the bleeding. Post-stroke rehabilitation helps individuals overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage. Drug therapy withblood thinners is the most common treatment for stroke.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Read about Stroke

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