Environmental Factors and Hypertension

Title:Environmental Factors and Hypertension

Volume: 23 Issue: 22

Author(s): Rosa Maria Bruno , Marina Di Pilla , Carla Ancona , Mette Sørensen , Marco Gesi , Stefano Taddei , Thomas Munzel*Agostino Virdis *

Affiliation:

• Kardiologie I, Zentrum für Kardiologie, University Medical Center of Mainz, and DZHK-standort Rhein Main,Germany

• Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa,Italy

Keywords: Air pollution, noise, hypertension, outdoor temperature, particulate matter, blood pressure.

Abstract: Background: Environmental factors are a major cause of poor health worldwide. The most solid evidence is for air pollution, leading to increased disability-adjusted life years. Outdoor temperature and other seasonal climate changes may also influence cardiovascular health, according to their direct modulation of air pollution. Moreover, an increasing body of evidence associates environmental exposure to noise with poor cardiovascular outcome, and in particular with hypertension.

Methods: This review is aimed at reviewing current evidence about the role of these environmental factors in cardiovascular disease and specifically hypertension. In particular, the impact of air pollution, with its short-term and long-term effects, the outdoor temperature and noise pollution will be investigated.

Conclusions: People belonging to low social classes, as well as children, women, older people and those with established cardiovascular diseases, seem to have a greater susceptibility to the effects of environmental stressors, recalling the concept of “environmental justice”. The accumulating strong scientific evidence may thus support public health policies aimed at reducing social inequalities in cardiovascular health.

Cite this article as:

Bruno Maria Rosa , Di Pilla Marina, Ancona Carla , Sørensen Mette , Gesi Marco , Taddei Stefano , Munzel Thomas *, Virdis Agostino *, Environmental Factors and Hypertension, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2017; 23 (22) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666170321162233

DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666170321162233	Print ISSN 1381-6128
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher	Online ISSN 1873-4286