Climate Changes and Human Health: A Review of the Effect of Environmental Stressors on Cardiovascular Diseases Across Epidemiology and Biological Mechanisms

Title:Climate Changes and Human Health: A Review of the Effect of Environmental Stressors on Cardiovascular Diseases Across Epidemiology and Biological Mechanisms

Volume: 23 Issue: 22

Author(s): Paolo Giorgini*, Paolo Di Giosia, Marco Petrarca, Francesco Lattanzio, Cosimo Andrea Stamerra and Claudio Ferri

Affiliation:

• University of L’Aquila, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences - San Salvatore Hospital, Delta 6 Building - V.le San Salvatore, Coppito (L’Aquila), 67100,Italy

Keywords: Climate change, global warming, cardiovascular risk, air pollution, particulate matter, temperature, public health, epidemiology, ozone.

Abstract: Background: Climate change is rapidly affecting all the regions of our planet. The most relevant example is global warming, which impacts on the earth’s ecosystems, threatening human health. Other effects include extreme variations in temperature and increases in air pollution. These events may negatively impact mortality and morbidity for cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: In this review, we discuss the main effects of climate changes on cardiovascular diseases, reporting the epidemiological evidences and the biological mechanisms linking climate change consequences to hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart diseases, heart failure and stroke.

Results: Up to now, findings suggest that humans acclimate under different weather conditions, even though extreme temperatures and higher levels of air pollution can influence health-related outcomes. In these cases, climate change adversely affects cardiovascular system and the high-risk subjects for cardiovascular diseases are those more exposed.

Conclusion: Finally, we examine climate change implications on publich health and suggest adaptation strategies to monitor the high-risk population, and reduce the amount of hospital admissions associated to these events. Such interventions may minimize the costs of public health and reduce the mortality for cardiovascular diseases.

Cite this article as:

Giorgini Paolo *, Di Giosia Paolo, Petrarca Marco , Lattanzio Francesco , Stamerra Andrea Cosimo and Ferri Claudio , Climate Changes and Human Health: A Review of the Effect of Environmental Stressors on Cardiovascular Diseases Across Epidemiology and Biological Mechanisms, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2017; 23 (22) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666170317143248

DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666170317143248	Print ISSN 1381-6128
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher	Online ISSN 1873-4286