High level of air pollution has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality increase due to the high risk of vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and cardiac hypertrophy, which can lead to heart failure in adults. However, only the direct effect of pollution particles in adults was acknowledged.

A novel study, which has been published in the Particle and Fibre Toxicology, explores how the exposure to diesel exhaust during pregnancy and early life impacts an increased risk of cardiac disease in adults.

The study used a mouse model and compared the effects of pollution on cardiac health of adults after direct exposure, and after in utero and neonatal exposure. The risk of heart failure was evaluated by inducing extra pressure on the cardiovascular system by performing placebo surgery or transverse aortic constriction (TAC) operation. The adult mice showed no increase in incidence of cardiac issues after 8 weeks of exposure. However, the mice that have been exposed to diesel fumes in utero, showed severe heart failure following the pressure-inducing surgery.

It should be noted that the mice, which had been exposed to pollution during embryonic development, also developed lung enlargement following the TAC surgery. The scientists believe that pulmonary damage could promote cardiovascular disorders; moreover, other recent studies have demonstrated that intra-uterine exposure to diesel exhaust facilitates fetal pulmonary distress, thus relating these findings to pollution-related heart disease.

While air pollution is already considered to be the 9th leading cause of disease worldwide, the scientists demonstrate that in utero and early life exposure to diesel exhaust adds another risk factor for cardiac hypertrophy and subsequent heart failure in adults. Since the study was carried out at fume concentrations consistent with those of a highly polluted urban area, stressing air pollution in cities could be even more significant health hazard for pregnant woman and newborns than ever considered.

Source: www.technology.org