Association between El Niño-Southern Oscillation events and stroke: a case-crossover study in Kaunas city, Lithuania, 2000-2015

Impact of Ambient Air Pollution with PM2.5 on Stroke Occurrence: Data from Kaunas (Lithuania) Stroke Register (2010–2022)

Background: Ambient particulate matter of ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) is named as a risk factor for cerebrovascular diseases. This investigation aimed to evaluate the impact of ambient air pollution with PM2.5 on stroke occurrence. Methods: The study was performed in Kaunas, Lithuania, from 2010 to 2022. The daily numbers of ISs, subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAHs), and intracerebral hemorrhages (ICHs) were obtained from the Kaunas Stroke Register. The association between stroke occurrence and PM2.5 exposure was assessed by time- and seasonally stratified Poisson regression. Results: Among middle-aged persons, 3377 had a stroke, of which 2686 (79.5%) had an IS, 469 (13.9%) had an ICH, and 222 (6.6%) had SAH. The relative risk (RR) of SAH was increased by 1.7% with an increase in daily PM2.5 by 1 μg/m3 on the same day and at a lag of 1 day, and by 2.2% with an increase in mean PM2.5 concentration at a lag 0–1 days by 1 μg/m3. The RR of having a SAH was increased by 0.7% with an increase in daily PM2.5 by 1 μg/m3 on the same day. Conclusions: Significant associations between stroke occurrence and air pollution with PM2.5 were found in the SAH and HS patients, and only in middle-aged subjects.

The influence of specific weather types on stroke occurrence: an analysis of 23,000 patients from Augsburg, Germany

For the first time, the relationships between large-scale weather types and local stroke events in the urban area of Augsburg, Germany are analyzed. Over 23,000 stroke cases (2006 - 2020) were standardized to account for long-term trends and seasonality. Using ERA5 reanalysis data, a composite analysis identified stroke-related atmospheric variables, while seasonal weather types were classified via the neural network algorithm of self-organizing maps. Cyclonic westerlies during the cold season, which transport warm air masses from the Atlantic Ocean to Germany, were a major risk factor for ischemic stroke, while colder easterly conditions reduced stroke incidence. In the warm season, both anticyclonic conditions and westerly/northerly air advection, leading to slightly warmer or distinctly colder temperatures, were linked to increased ischemic stroke risk. Additionally, hemorrhagic strokes in the cold season were triggered by weather conditions contrary to those associated with ischemic strokes and transitory ischemic attacks.

The impact of residential environment on stroke onset and its spatial heterogeneity: A multiscale exploration in Shanghai

BACKGROUND

Stroke is a worldwide concern due to its high disability and mortality rates, especially in many countries entering ageing societies. This study aims to understand the spatial heterogeneity of stroke onset and residential environment influence scopes from multiscale.

METHODS

The 2013 to 2022 spatiotemporal distribution pattern of stroke onset was obtained via out-patient data from a hospital in Shanghai. Then nine residential environmental factors were selected to estimate the association of stroke onset by multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR), in three scenarios.

RESULTS

Accessibility to pubs/bars (PUB) and building density (BD) were the top two residential environmental factors both for the entire sample and by gender. Stress-related environmental factors have a greater impact on the onset of stroke in men but are limited in scope. The population of elderly people have relevance to environmental variables heterogeneity. The indicators relating to unhealthy food and alcohol suggest that habit-inducing environmental factors have a limited impact on stroke onset, but rather that pre-existing habits play a greater role.

CONCLUSIONS

MGWR analyses individual components across multiple bandwidths, revealing geographical disparities in the impact of elements that would otherwise be undetected on a global scale. Environmental factors have a limited impact on the onset of stroke. When society is faced with both heavy ageing and fiscal constraints, some of the blue-green space budgets can be scaled back to invest in more secure facilities.

The Influence of Climate, Atmospheric Pollution, and Natural Disasters on Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes Mellitus in Drylands: A Scoping Review

Objectives

In the face of escalating global aridification, this study examines the complex relationship between climate variability, air pollution, natural disasters, and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in arid regions.

Methods

The study conducted a scoping review of multiple databases using JBI guidelines and included 74 studies.

Results

The results show that acute myocardial infarction (n = 20) and stroke (n = 13) are the primary CVDs affected by these factors, particularly affecting older adults (n = 34) and persons with hypertension (n = 3). Elevated air temperature and heat waves emerge as critical risk factors for CVD, exacerbating various cardiovascular mechanisms. Atmospheric pollutants and natural disasters increase this risk. Indirect effects of disasters amplify risk factors such as socioeconomic vulnerability (n = 4), inadequate medical care (n = 3), stress (n = 3), and poor diet (n = 2), increasing CVD and DM risk.

Conclusion

The study underscores the need for nations to adhere to the Paris Agreement, advocating for reduced air pollutants, resilient environments, and collaborative, multidisciplinary research to develop targeted health interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of climate, pollution, and natural disasters.

Climate and human health: a review of publication trends in the International Journal of Biometeorology

The climate-health nexus is well documented in the field of biometeorology. Since its inception, Biometeorology has in many ways become the umbrella under which much of this collaborative research has been conducted. Whilst a range of review papers have considered the development of biometeorological research and its coverage in this journal, and a few have reviewed the literature on specific diseases, none have focused on the sub-field of climate and health as a whole. Since its first issue in 1957, the International Journal of Biometeorology has published a total of 2183 papers that broadly consider human health and its relationship with climate. In this review, we identify a total of 180 (8.3%, n = 2183) of these papers that specifically focus on the intersection between meteorological variables and specific, named diagnosable diseases, and explore the publication trends thereof. The number of publications on climate and health in the journal increases considerably since 2011. The largest number of publications on the topic was in 2017 (18) followed by 2021 (17). Of the 180 studies conducted, respiratory diseases accounted for 37.2% of the publications, cardiovascular disease 17%, and cerebrovascular disease 11.1%. The literature on climate and health in the journal is dominated by studies from the global North, with a particular focus on Asia and Europe. Only 2.2% and 8.3% of these studies explore empirical evidence from the African continent and South America respectively. These findings highlight the importance of continued research on climate and human health, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries, the populations of which are more vulnerable to climate-sensitive illnesses.

Association between Outdoor Air Pollution and Fatal Acute Myocardial Infarction in Lithuania between 2006 and 2015: A Time Series Design

BACKGROUND

Air pollution has a significant effect on human health and there is a broad body of evidence showing that exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of adverse health effects. The main objective of this study was to assess the association of traffic-related air pollutants with fatal AMI during the ten-year period.

METHODS

The study was conducted in Kaunas city, where the WHO MONICA register included a total of 2273 adult cases of fatal AMI cases during the 10-year study period. We focused on the period between 2006 and 2015. The associations between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and the risk of fatal AMI were evaluated by using a multivariate Poisson regression model, RR presented per an increase in IQR.

RESULTS

It was found that the risk of fatal AMI was significantly higher in all subjects (RR 1.06; 95% CI 1.00-1.12) and women (RR 1.12; 95% CI 1.02-1.22) when the concentration of PM₁₀ in the ambient air was increased 5-11 days before the onset of AMI, adjusting for NO₂ concentration. The effect was stronger during spring in all subjects (RR 1.12; 95% CI 1.03-1.22), in men (RR 1.13; 95% CI 1.01-1.26), in younger-aged (RR 1.15; 95% CI 1.03-1.28), and in winter in women (RR 1.24; 95% CI 1.03-1.50).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that ambient air pollution increases the risk of fatal AMI, and this pertains to PM₁₀ specifically.