IIT Mandi study finds environmental exposure as risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in adults

A new study done by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has found that environmental exposure is a significant risk factor for the occurrence and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among adults aged 45 and above in India.

“As a majority of the population of India resides in rural areas and uses unclean fuels for cooking and other purposes, exposing them to harmful smoke emitted from burning them.

Second-hand smoke exposure, commonly referred to as passive smoking, is believed to have similar cardiovascular effects and risks comparable to active smoking” the study revealed.

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality worldwide, claiming the lives of around 17.9 million people annually.

The researchers analysed data from more than 59,000 individuals aged 45 and above in both rural and urban India and arrived at the predominant risk factors of the disease. The details of the research have been published in the journal, Current Problems in Cardiology (Elsevier) - Impact Factor: 16.464, in a paper co-authored by Dr Ramna Thakur Associate Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Mandi and her research scholars Gayathri and Sujata.

Explaining the basis of the research, Dr Ramna Thakur says, “There are several traditional risk factors for CVDs, including high systolic blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, obesity, unhealthy food, poor nutritional status, age, family history, physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption.”

Additionally, exposure to air pollutants is another significant risk factor.

We aimed to cluster these risk factors into different groups and identify the exclusive individual effect of each group on CVDs prevalence among adults aged 45 and above in India, the search revealed.

The study also identified behavioural risk factors such as physical inactivity leading to CVDs.