March 25, 2024
2 min read
Key takeaways:
- High levels of exposure to artificial outdoor light at night and air pollution were associated with elevated risk for stroke.
- The link was stronger for ischemic stroke than hemorrhagic stroke.
In a prospective cohort study, excessive exposure to outdoor artificial light at night and air pollution were associated with elevated risk for stroke, researchers reported in Stroke.
“Despite significant advances in reducing traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity and type 2 diabetes, it is important to consider environmental factors in our efforts to decrease the global burden of cardiovascular disease,” Jian-Bing Wang, PhD, a researcher in the departments of public health and endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine and the National Clinical Research Center for Children’s Health in Hangzhou, China, said in a press release.
Wang and colleagues analyzed data from 28,302 participants enrolled in the Yinzhou cohort, consisting of residents of Yinzhou district, Ningbo City, China (mean age, 62 years; 59% women).
The researchers assessed outdoor light at night and air pollution by satellite-derived images and land-use regression models. Cerebrovascular events were determined by medical records and death certificates. Participants were stratified into quartiles by exposure to outdoor light at night, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 10 µm or less (PM10) and NO2.
During 127,877 person-years of follow-up, the researchers identified 1,278 cases of cerebrovascular disease, including 777 ischemic strokes and 133 hemorrhagic strokes.
In single-exposure models, the HR per interquartile range increase for cerebrovascular disease was 1.17 (95% CI, 1.06-1.29) for outdoor light at night, 1.25 (95% CI, 1.12-1.39) for PM2.5, 1.14 (95% CI, 1.06-1.22) for PM10 and 1.21 (95% CI, 1.06-1.38) for NO2, according to the researchers.
The results were similar for ischemic stroke, but there was no relationship between hemorrhagic stroke and exposure to outdoor light at night or air pollution.
In multiple-exposure models, the relationship between exposure to outdoor light at night or air pollution and cerebrovascular disease persisted, but the relationship between exposure to outdoor light at night or air pollution and ischemic stroke did not, the researchers wrote.
“Our study suggests that higher levels of exposure to outdoor artificial light at night may be a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease,” Wang said in the release. “Therefore, we advise people, especially those living in urban areas, to consider reducing that exposure to protect themselves from its potential harmful impact. We need to develop more effective policies and prevention strategies to reduce the burden of disease from environmental factors such as light as well as air pollution, particularly for people living in the most densely populated, polluted areas around the world.”
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