indoor air purifiers may aid heart patients

By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health)-
A small study from China shows that people with heart disease may benefit from using indoor air purifiers.
While the study cannot say that air purifiers can prevent heart attacks or other major medical problems, several risk factors for heart disease in young healthy adults exposed to purified air have improved.
\"In countries around the world where air pollution is a problem, I think this is especially important . \"
Sanjay Rajagopalan of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Rajagopalan said the new findings suggest that the use of air purifiers could lead to a reduction in cardiovascular events, and he wrote an editorial in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Previous studies have found that particles in the air are associated with increased heart risk
Related issues, including heart attacks and strokes, the study authors said.
In this new study, Chen Renjie and Zhao Ang of Fudan University in Shanghai and his colleagues asked 35 health college students in Shanghai to randomly use vacuum air purifiers or fake air purifiers in dormitories.
Two weeks later, the students spent another two days using any type they didn\'t use for the first time.
China is one of the most polluted countries in the world.
The target air pollution level set by the World Health Organization is 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
But Rajagopalan wrote in his editorial that daily air pollution in major Asian cities usually exceeds 100 to 500 micrograms per cubic meter.
The researchers said air purification in the Student Room reduced air pollution by 57%, from about 96 micrograms per cubic meter to about 41 micrograms per cubic meter.
When students have real air purifiers in their rooms, they have significantly improved on several indicators of inflammation and coagulation.
Their blood pressure also has some significant decreases, and there is also a certain degree of reduction in airway inflammation, which is called outbound laughter.
The researchers also found some improvement in lung function and vascular contraction, but these findings may be accidental.
\"You have to use the results of these studies as good supporting evidence for the effectiveness of these strategies,\" Rajagopalan told Reuters Health Channel . \". Dr.
Rachel tarrisio, a lung expert at the Cleveland Clinic Asthma Center in Ohio, warned that the benefits of the home air purification system may not be equal to everyone.
Taliercio, who was not involved in the new study, said: \"Of course, there is no harm in doing so, obviously there are some benefits . \".
\"It is not clear how big these benefits are.
\"For example, pollution levels in North America are much lower than in Asia,\" she said.
\"So, it\'s hard to know if what you see in China is good for North America.
\"For people who live nearby --
Taliercio said investigations may be needed on major roads and contaminated areas such as coal-fired power plants and air purifiers.
But for those who live in the suburbs, it is difficult for these devices to prove reasonable, she added, especially when people consider costs.
The price of household air purification systems ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
These devices often require filters to be replaced on a regular basis.
Rajagopalan said: \"From the perspective of what you can do to protect yourself in these polluted environments, investing in home and car air filtration systems can lead to better air quality in the long run.
\"At least one message is that people realize that air quality does affect health and chronic diseases, such as heart disease,\" he said . \". SOURCE: bit. ly/1GHoaG2 bit.
Ly/1 GHorIZ Journal of the American Society of Cardiology, online, May 25, 2015.