Is urban particulate matter air pollution associated with subclinical atherosclerosis : results from the HNR ( Heinz Nixdorf Recall ) study?
Our study shows a clear association of long-term exposure to PM(2.5) with atherosclerosis. This finding strengthens the hypothesized role of PM(2.5) as a risk factor for atherogenesis.
In patients transferred to a tertiary centre with intractable chest pain, C reactive protein and troponin I are not predictive of transient myocardial ischaemia or lesion morphology, both of which are surrogate markers of outcome. Troponin T is, however, raised in patients with multivessel disease or transient myocardial ischaemia. These serum protein assays cannot be used to stratify the risk of patients with unstable angina who are awaiting transfer to the tertiary centre.