Air pollution may have adverse heart-related effects in patients with kidney disease, suggests new research.

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University, US, evaluated if the level of Galectin 3, a marker of myocardial fibrosis and remodeling, is associated with air pollution exposure in hypertensive patients with and without chronic kidney disease. Investigators assessed 1,019 individuals, comparing satellite-acquired PM2.5 measurements with the study participants’ systolic blood pressure level. There was no association between air pollution exposure and blood levels of Galectin 3. However, in adults with chronic kidney disease in addition to hypertension, exposure to air pollution was tied to increasing levels of Galectin 3 over time… (ET Healthworld – IANS, November 6, 2021)