New Delhi, September 19 (IANS). A Lancet study has made a shocking revelation about air pollution. The study has found that air pollution is the biggest risk factor for brain stroke, just like smoking.
A Lancet study found that tiny solid and liquid particles in the air are harmful for brain stroke, the risk of which is equal to that of smoking.
The study, led by an international team of researchers from India, the US, New Zealand, Brazil and the UAE, found that air pollution contributed 14 per cent to the rate of death and disability from this serious stroke, similar to smoking.
The study found that air pollution, higher temperatures as well as metabolic disorders have caused a rise in global stroke cases and deaths over the past three decades.
In the year 2021, the number of people suffering from new strokes worldwide has increased to more than ten million, which is a 70 percent increase since the year 1990. Apart from this, the number of deaths due to stroke has been recorded to be more than 7 million since 1990, which is an increase of 44 percent.
The study found that 23 risk factors responsible for stroke have been identified in the year 2021. It has revealed five major global risk factors for stroke, including high systolic blood pressure, particulate matter air pollution, smoking, high LDL cholesterol and household air pollution.
“With 84% of the leading causes of stroke being attributed to 23 modifiable risk factors, there are many opportunities to reduce stroke risk for the next generation,” said co-author Dr. Katherine O. Johnson, principal research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. “Air pollution is inextricably linked to temperature and climate change. The importance of immediate climate action and measures to reduce air pollution cannot be underestimated.”
“Stroke is now the third leading cause of death worldwide after heart disease and COVID-19, so there is a need to focus on obesity and metabolic disorders,” he said.
They have also called for measures such as clean air zones and public smoking bans. The study also found that disability, disease and premature death due to stroke increased by 32 percent worldwide between 1990 and 2021.
–IANS
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