Can Air Pollution Lead to Blood Clot or Even Heart Disease?

Industrialization seems cannot be separated from air population, brought about by the improper management and disposal of industrial wastes, especially in many developing countries.

Air pollution resulting from cars and industry do contain tiny particles of carbon, nitrates, metals and other materials that can be linked to a variety of health problems. Lung diseases were the initial concern but subsequent research has reported that it might as well cause heart disease and stroke because it increases the rate at which blood can coagulate.

In a paper published on May 12, 2008 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that the small particles if presented in large amount in air population might cause blood clots in the legs. This is similar to the condition known as ‘economy class syndrome’ resulting from immobility during flight.

Before this study, particulate pollution had never been linked to blood clots in the veins. The health experts have always cited ‘impaired circulation when sitting in one place without exercise for long periods’ as the reason to cause economy class syndrome, but not to the blood itself.

The study examined 870 people in Italy who had developed deep vein thrombosis between 1995 and 2005. Comparing with 1,210 people who live in the same region but did not have the problem, the researchers discovered that for every increase in particulate matter of 10 micrograms per square meter the previous year, the risk of deep vein thrombosis increased by 70 percent. Moreover, the blood of those who had higher levels of exposure to particulate matter was quicker to clot when tested at a clinic.

The new findings of a new and common risk for deep vein thrombosis provide a strong basis for the researchers to call for tighter standards and continued efforts aimed at reducing the impact of urban air pollutants on human health.

If the findings can be proven by additional research, it may turn out that the actual health hazards created by air pollution may be even greater than ever anticipated.

Can B Vitamins Really Reduce Heart Risk for Women?

It is believed that a high level of homocysteine in the bloodstream could damage arteries and it has been linked to blood clots, strokes and heart attacks.

Homocysteine is a chemical compound, which is produced naturally by the body. In rare cases, some children may have levels that are out of control, and will be given heavy doses of folic acid and Vitamins B6 and B12 to break it down. Previous research has already shown that level of homocysteine will rise when one of these vitamins is insufficient. However, it is unclear if lowering elevated homocysteine levels in the “general population” will actually prevent heart disease.

A recent study by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston showed that giving folic acid and B Vitamins supplements fails to protect women from heart disease. The findings, published on May 6, 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, questioned whether addressing a marker for heart disease (in this case, homocysteine) can really prevent heart attacks or strokes.

The study followed female patients of age 42 or older for more than 7 years. These women, either were at risk for heart disease, or had already experienced heart problems. On a daily basis, 2.5 milligrams of folic acid, 50 milligrams of Vitamin B6, and 1 milligram of vitamin B12 were given to half the 5,442 participants, while a placebo was distributed to the rest.

During the 7-year study, it was observed that though no harm came from the B vitamins, the homocysteine levels fell by nearly one-fifth in the first group, yet there was no noticeable difference in the incidence of heart problems or heart-related deaths, as compared with the placebo group.

It is reported that large-scale studies examining homocysteine and the impact on heart disease are under way in Europe.

In the United States and Canada, folic acid has been added by law to white floor and grain products since the late 1990s. However, European flour is not routinely supplemented. Therefore, it is expected people in Europe will have homocysteine levels are likely higher and the impact of lowering them may be better seen.

Until further data become available, it is perhaps best to base on the available evidence. One should not forget that experimental and observational data do not always translate into therapeutic benefits.

Stent-Related Blood Clot May Lead To Repeat Stent Thrombosis!

Angioplasty procedure is commonly used to clear the blockages in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. Thereafter, stents, which are wire mesh tubes, will be inserted into the coronary arteries to help keep the vessels from reclogging.

The Dutch Stent Thrombosis Study indicated that one in six patients who suffer a potentially deadly clot inside a coronary stent are at a higher risk of developing another clot, especially if they had a second stent implanted during emergency treatment for the first clot.

The study was conducted by Dutch researchers from St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands, and its findings were presented at a joint meeting of the American College of Cardiology and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions in Chicago.

Clots that form inside a stent, which is known as stent thrombosis, can block the blood flow to the heart and can therefore cause a heart attack or even death. According to the researchers, using an additional stent during emergency treatment of a stent-related blood clot is a strong predictor of repeat stent thrombosis.

The study examined 437 patients with various types of stents who had stent thrombosis between January 2004 and February 2007 and found that 16.9 percent of the patients had multiple episodes of stent thrombosis: 61 patients had 2 episodes, 12 had 3 episodes and one had 4 episodes.

Meanwhile, the study also discovered that:

• Patients who had a second stent implanted during emergency treatment for their first clot were 4.2 times more likely to have another episode of stent thrombosis comparing with other patients.

• Patients who previously had a heart attack and those who developed a clot long after stent implantation (known as late stent thrombosis) were 2.6 times and 2.1 times respectively more likely to suffer a repeat episode.

Why Can Garlic Benefit Cardiovascular System?

For centuries, garlic has been believed in the field of alternative medicine that it could benefit human beings: from its anti-bacterial and antifungal properties, to its positive effects on the cardiovascular system.

Why garlic has such a valuable health benefits, you may ask? Recently, a group of US researchers figured out the reason behind this: it boosts human body's own production of a compound that relaxes blood vessels, increases blood flow, and prevents blood clots and oxidative damage. The results of the study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to the new research, the key is the chemical messenger (hydrogen sulphide or H2S) that is produced when Allicin and similar biologically active components are metabolized. The messenger is essential at low levels for cellular signing, that appears to relax blood vessels, enhancing blood flow.

In laboratory, the researchers at the University of Alabama first extracted juice from supermarket garlic and added minute amounts of red blood cells. The cells immediately began emitting hydrogen sulphide.

Various experiments also showed that the key chemical reaction took place mainly at the membrane of the red blood cells, although a fraction of H2S was also produced inside the cells. The team also added a section of rat aorta (a heart blood vessel) to a solution containing organic polysulphides and found that the vessel began to relax as it produced H2S.

This perhaps may also explain why many studies showed garlic supplements could prevent the progress of cardiovascular disease, yet some showed that there was no benefit in taking such supplements.

Anger Management May Save Your Heart!

While you are angry, the arteries supplying oxygen-rich blood to your heart are also narrowing, and your blood is "sticker" (more viscous) and more likely to form dangerous blood clots.

Blood clots could lead to a heart attack or stroke. A heart attack could also be triggered if hormones released during anger (for example, adrenaline) cause an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia).

Furthermore, anger has been linked to risk factors such as higher homocysteine levels and higher cholesterol levels. Therefore, learning anger management techniques could help reduce the stress on your cardiovascular system and ultimately save your life.

Next time, if you want to get angry with someone or anything, do think twice!