Exposure to Traffic and the Onset of Myocardial Infarction

An association between exposure to vehicular traffic in urban areas and the exacerbation of cardiovascular disease has been suggested in previous studies. This study was designed to assess whether exposure to traffic can trigger myocardial infarction.

We conducted a case-crossover study in which cases of myocardial infarction were identified with the use of data from the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg Myocardial Infarction Registry in Augsburg, in southern Germany, for the period from February 1999 to July 2001. There were 691 subjects for whom the date and time of the myocardial infarction were known who had survived for at least 24 hours after the event, completed the registry's standardized interview, and provided information on factors that may have triggered the myocardial infarction. Data on subjects' activities during the four days preceding the onset of symptoms were collected with the use of patient diaries.