Cardiovascular disease burden linked to particulate matter pollution in Latin America and the Caribbean: Insights from GBD 2021 and socio-demographic index analysis

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to analyze the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) attributable to particulate matter (PM) pollution in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and territories, and its relationship with the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI).

Study design

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted.

Methods

The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the SDI data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Spearman's regression coefficients ($rho$) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate the relationship of interest.

Results

We computed a total of 22,231,164 disability-adjusted life years DALYs due to CVD in 2021, with an age-standardized rate of 3742 DALYs per 100,000 population. Ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke were predominant. PM pollution was responsible for 2,974,358 DALYs (12.1 % of total CVD DALYs), varying widely across regions, with the highest attributable fractions observed in Haiti, Honduras, and Guatemala. A negative linear relationship ($rho$ = −0.73, 95 % CI -0.95 to −0.51) was observed between PM pollution-attributable CVD burden and SDI, indicating a higher burden in regions with lower SDI. Public health interventions targeting PM pollution could substantially mitigate the burden of CVD, particularly in vulnerable populations identified in this study.

Conclussions

These findings underscore the critical importance of environmental policies and interventions aimed at reducing PM pollution, and underlying socio-economic disparities, to alleviate the health impact of CVD in LAC countries and territories.