Abstract
BackgroundDecreased heart rate variability (HRV) is a predictor of autonomic system dysfunction, and is considered as a potential mechanism of increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) induced by exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5). Previous studies have suggested that exposure to PM2.5 may lead to decreased HRV levels, but the results remain inconsistent.MethodsAn updated systematic review and meta-analysis of panel studies till November 1, 2019 was conducted to evaluate the acute effect of exposure to ambient PM2.5 on HRV. We searched electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase) to identify panel studies reporting the associations between exposure to PM2.5 and the four indicators of HRV (standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences in adjacent normal-to-normal intervals (rMSSD), high frequency power (HF), and low frequency power (LF)). Random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect estimates.ResultsA total of 33 panel studies were included in our meta-analysis, with 16 studies conducted in North America, 12 studies in Asia, and 5 studies in Europe. The pooled results showed a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure which was significantly associated with a − 0.92% change in SDNN (95% confidence intervals (95%CI) − 1.26%, − 0.59%), − 1.47% change in rMSSD (95%CI − 2.17%, − 0.77%), − 2.17% change in HF (95%CI − 3.24%, − 1.10%), and − 1.52% change in LF (95%CI − 2.50%, − 0.54%), respectively. Overall, subgroup analysis suggested that short-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with lower HRV levels in Asians, healthy population, and those aged ≥ 40 years.ConclusionShort-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with decreased HRV levels. Future studies are warranted to clarity the exact mechanism of exposure to PM2.5 on the cardiovascular system through disturbance of autonomic nervous function.
Highlights
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major cause of mortality worldwide, which contributed to 17.8 million deaths in 2017 [1]
We found that the average percent changes in time (SDNN, rMSSD) and frequency domains (LF, HF) of heart rate variability (HRV) were all in the combined confidence interval, suggesting that the results of the meta-analysis were reliable and stable (Figure S4)
Our meta-analysis demonstrated that exposure to ambient PM2.5 was significantly associated with decreased
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major cause of mortality worldwide, which contributed to 17.8 million deaths in 2017 [1]. Epidemiologic studies have shown that exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) increases the risk of CVD [2, 3], and even a short-term exposure to PM2.5 may lead to acute cardiovascular events [4–6]. One of the potential mechanisms of PM2.5-related acute cardiovascular events is dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which is always assessed by the heart rate variability (HRV) levels [7–9]. Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is a predictor of autonomic system dysfunction, and is considered as a potential mechanism of increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) induced by exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5). Previous studies have suggested that exposure to PM2.5 may lead to decreased HRV levels, but the results remain inconsistent
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