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LEAP - Long Term Exposure to
Air Pollution and Myocardial Infarction.
Several studies have shown
associations between day-to-day variations in air pollution levels and
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A few studies have also reported
associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality, total
and cause specific. Myocardial infarction (MI) is the most common cardiovascular
disease and is responsible for more than half of the total mortality in Sweden.
The fact that most people live in urban areas and MI being the most common cause
of death in Sweden, even a small increase in MI risk due to air pollution
exposure have a great impact on the public health.
This study aims to investigate the
relationship between long term exposure to air pollution and the risk for MI.
The results from the study will be important for the risk assessment and help
public health agencies in setting priorities for preventive work.
The study is based on a large
case-control study in Stockholm County – SHEEP (Stockholm Heart Epidemiology
Program) – designed to investigate risk factors for MI in the general
population. In order to assess exposure to air pollution retrospectively for all
subjects, their residential history up to 30 years will be obtained. GIS will be
used to link their addresses to dispersion models based on historical emission
databases for Stockholm County. Models like these have previously been used in a
study of lung cancer in Stockholm. In this manner each subject has an estimated
annual exposure level to NO2, NOX, SO2 and CO
for each year in the 30 years preceding diagnosis. The cumulative exposure are
used to analyze the risk for MI, udjusted for confounders, and analysis of
potentially effect modifying factors. The study design makes it possible to
analyse different latency perriods for disease development. The results will be
published in the scientific literature and will be presented on conferences and
seminars, both in Sweden and elsewhere.
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