Due to air pollution and increasing heat, cases of brain stroke are increasing all over the world, Lancet's shocking revelation…

New Delhi:- A study published in Lancet on Thursday on the risk of brain stroke has shocked everyone. The new study found for the first time that ambient particulate air pollution is a high risk factor for subarachnoid hemorrhage, equal to smoking. Let us tell you, subarachnoid hemorrhage is a type of brain stroke. It occurs when blood vessels burst between the brain and the tissues covering it. Meaning, this air pollution has the same effect on the body as it does on the body of a smoker.

The study was led by an international team of researchers
The study, led by an international team of researchers from India, the US, New Zealand, Brazil and the UAE, revealed that air pollution is responsible for 14 per cent of deaths and disability caused by this severe stroke subtype. The study showed that air pollution, high temperatures as well as metabolic disorders have led to a significant increase in global cases and deaths due to stroke over the past three decades. The number of people suffering from new strokes worldwide rose to 11.9 million in 2021 – a 70 per cent increase from 1990. Stroke-related deaths rose to 7.3 million – a 44 per cent increase since 1990.

The heat and pollution are on the rise

This research, conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, indicates that the number of people affected by brain stroke has increased to 11.9 million in 2021, which represents a 70 percent increase since 1990. The study also revealed a 44 percent increase in brain stroke-related deaths, with 7.3 million deaths recorded in 2021 alone. What is worrying is that the impact of high temperatures on these deaths has increased by 72 percent compared to 1990.

Due to these reasons, the cases of brain stroke are increasing

The researchers identified several major risk factors, including smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and high blood pressure, which all contribute to the rising incidence of stroke. In addition, the study found that particulate matter pollution poses a risk to brain health similar to that of smoking, underscoring the urgent need for public health interventions to address these environmental and lifestyle factors. As the global community grapples with these challenges, awareness and proactive measures are essential to combat the rising wave of brain strokes and protect public health.

What did Dr. Katherine O. Johnson say?

“We hope that our body doesn’t get any positive effects,” said co-author Dr. Katherine O. Silveri, principal research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Johnson said that since 84 percent of stroke cases are associated with 23 modifiable risk factors, there is a tremendous opportunity to change the trajectory of stroke risk for the next generation. Given that ambient air pollution is inversely linked with ambient temperature and climate change, the importance of urgent climate action and measures to reduce air pollution cannot be underestimated. While stroke is now the third leading cause of death worldwide (after ischemic heart disease and COVID-19), the condition is highly preventable and treatable.

Revealed in the results of the Injury and Risk Factors Study

The researchers called for identifying sustainable ways to work with communities to take action to prevent and control modifiable risk factors such as high blood sugar and diets high in sugar-sweetened beverages. Johnson said interventions focused on obesity and metabolic syndrome are greatly needed. He also called for measures such as clean air zones and public smoking bans, which have been successful.

The findings, based on the Global Burden of Disease, Injury and Risk Factors Study, showed that more than three-quarters of people affected by stroke live in low- and middle-income countries. The study also found that worldwide, the total amount of disability, disease and premature death lost due to stroke – known as disability-adjusted life years – increased by 32 per cent between 1990 and 2021, from about 121.4 million years of healthy life lost in 1990 to 160.5 million years in 2021.

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