Light pollution exposure and a risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease in Poland: a population-based study (EP-PARTICLES study).

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Recently, attention has expanded beyond traditional risk factors to include nonclassical ones, such as light pollution (LP).

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of LP exposure on hospitalizations due to CVDs.

Methods: Data from the years 2012-2020 on light and air pollution were obtained from the Suomi NPP satellite, Copernicus System, and local monitoring stations. Hospitalization data for new‑onset cases of ST‑segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-STEMI (NSTEMI), atrial fibrillation (AF), and ischemic stroke (IS; based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes) were obtained from the Polish National Health Fund. The analysis covered 101 counties in 5 eastern Poland voivodeships, using sex- and age‑standardized incidence rates and panel Poisson regression models. Confounding variables included air pollution, socioeconomic status, and meteorological factors.

Results: The study included 55 081 hospitalizations for STEMI (64.6% men; mean [SD] age, 67.5 [12.5] y), 69 112 for NSTEMI (60.9% men; mean [SD] age, 70.2 [11.9] y), 228 410 for AF (47.3% men; mean [SD] age, 69.6 [11.2] y), and 131 085 for IS (48.4% men; mean [SD] age, 73.9 [12.2] y). LP intensity was calculated as an area‑weighted county‑level yearly average. An increase by one interquartile range (2479.42 nW/cm²/sr) in LP was linked to a 7% rise in odds of hospitalization for acute IS (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05-1.1) and a 15% rise for acute AF (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.13-1.17) in models with the highest number of confounding variables included. Significance for STEMI and NSTEMI was found in some models.

Conclusions: Prolonged LP exposure may increase the odds of cardiovascular hospitalizations, especially for IS or AF.