RSNA: Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution Linked to More Advanced CAD

FRIDAY, Dec. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Long-term exposure to air pollutants is associated with more advanced coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 in Chicago.

Felipe Castillo Aravena, M.D., from the University of Toronto, and colleagues examined the association of long-term air pollution exposure with coronary artery stenosis on cardiac computed tomography (CT) in 2,172 patients. Mean daily fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and gaseous nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) air pollution concentrations were assessed in the 10-year period prior to cardiac CT.

The researchers found that a 1 µg/m³ increase in 10-year PM_2.5 exposure was associated with increased odds of moving to a higher Coronary Artery Disease-Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) category and increased odds of obstructive CAD. A 1 ppb increase in 10-year NO₂ exposure was associated with increased odds of obstructive CAD, while the association with CAD-RADS stenosis category was not significant. On stratification by sex, a 1 µg/m³ increase in 10-year PM_2.5 exposure was associated with significantly increased odds of moving to a higher CAD-RADS stenosis category in men, but not women; a 1 ppb increase in 10-year NO₂ exposure was associated with increased odds of moving to a higher CAD-RADS stenosis category in men, but not women.

“The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence that air pollution is a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor and reinforce the need for further research to understand why these associations differ between men and women,” senior author Kate Hanneman, M.D., also from the University of Toronto, said in a statement.

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