The impact of atmospheric pressure changes on patients with acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Changes in atmospheric pressure act as a risk factor instability of atheromatous plaque and Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). Few studies have shown an association between atmosphere pressure, humidity, wind, sun rays, and cardiovascular disease. Purpose To evaluate the impact of atmospheric pressure on patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Methods This is a retrospective, observational, conducted in a single-center, in the period January-December 2018. We included patients with ACS, hospitalized in CCU, who performed emergency coronary angiography. The diagnosis of ACS was based on clinical, electrocardiographic, and laboratory findings. Data were collected retrospectively using patient records from archived files at the Statistics Center. Baseline demographic, clinical, and angiographic characteristics were collected. Data on atmospheric parameters, measured at the weather monitoring station, were obtained from the National Meteorological Service database (atmospheric pressure in each district of the country). The number of inhabitants for the respective districts is taken from the National Institute of Statistics. Results The number of patients involved was 1165. Significant changes in the average monthly values of atmospheric pressure were accompanied by a statistically significant increase in the number of cases with ACS, as occurred in March-April and October-November (p≤0.05). The highest number of ACS was in October 10.4%, whereas the lowest number was in January 10.6%, with a significant decreasing trend during May-June and the peak in October (p=0.04). A statistically significant relationship was observed between seasonal changes in atmospheric pressure with the number of cases with ACS. The autumn season prevails with 27.9% of the total cases, followed by the spring season with 25.6%, the summer season with 24.2%, and the winter season with 22.3%, (p = 0.04). Most cases in the cold period (November-March) occurred on days with statistically significant changes in Atmospheric Pressure. Conclusion The study notes an important relationship between seasonal, monthly changes in atmospheric pressure in relation to the frequency of cases with Acute Coronary Syndrome.