Atherothrombosis: environmental links.

BACKGROUND

During the past decades, many studies were published considering cosmo-terrestrial influences on different sites of human homeostasis. The aim of this study was to summarize some of those studies in the field of cardiovascular medicine, concentrating on environmental physical activity--Solar (SA), Geomagnetic (GMA), and conversely, Cosmic Ray (CRA)--links with atherothrombosis, the basic mechanism of most vascular catastrophes in modern society.

METHODS

A preview of a number of comparative studies between clinical events-acute myocardial infarction (AMI), sudden cardiac death (SCD), stroke (CVA), laboratory data of coagulation, inflammation (daily, monthly), with parameters of SA, GMA, CRA, and closely linked to CRA, high energy space proton flux at high energies. The clinical and laboratory data were from studies in Lithuania and Israel. The physical data were from space-science institutions in the USA and Russia (until 1990-USSR).

METHODS

Student's t-test and Pearson correlation coefficients and their probabilities were used.

RESULTS

A significant relation was found between the level of GMA (I-IV) and blood coagulation parameters, (platelet count and aggregation, fibrinogen, INR [ratio of patient's prothrombin time to normal], inflammation markers--serum C-reactive protein (CRP), elements of anti-phospholipid syndrome, number of deaths from ischemic CVA, SCD, outpatients death from AMI. The monthly occurrence of AMI (total and all subtypes) was connected with CRA. Monthly deaths from CVA (mostly ischemic) were correlated with CRA, and both events were closely connected with atherothrombosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Three basic components of atherothrombosis-blood coagulation, inflammation, atheroma disruption are connected with environmental physical activity--CRA is predominant in plaque disruption, cellular damage, electrical instability, GMA in the activation of coagulation and inflammation.