Short summary

The AIRCARD study will examine the impact of air and noise pollution exposure on CVD incidence and mortality. Leveraging advanced epidemiological models, we will identify the most harmful pollutants. Using data from the DANCAVAS and VIVA trials, our research aims to guide policy decisions by highlighting pollution's effects, considering risk factors and socioeconomic status.

Rationale

The AIRCARD study addresses a critical health concern: the impact of accumulated air and noise pollution on CVD. While existing research establishes general links between pollution and CVD, there remains a knowledge gap regarding which specific pollutants are most harmful. Our research aims to provide data with unparalleled precision, potentially influencing public health policies, prevention strategies, and highlighting the interconnectedness of socioeconomic factors, environmental exposures, and health outcomes.

Description of the cohort

Our study draws participants from DANCAVAS and VIVA trials. The DANCAVAS trial consists of predominantly males aged 60-74 from the Region of Southern Denmark. These individuals underwent a comprehensive 7-step cardiovascular screening, capturing extensive CVD risk factors. The VIVA trial encompassed men aged 65-74 from the Central Denmark Region, specifically Viborg County. Participants in VIVA were screened using abdominal ultrasounds and ankle-brachial blood pressure indices to detect vascular diseases. Cumulatively, the combined cohort involves 33,723 participants, providing a robust and varied sample.

Data and biological material

We will enrich the cohorts with data from National Patient Registries, Death and Causes of Death and Registries on Education and Incomes and Occupation, which will provide information on CVD incidence and prevalence, socioeconomic metrics, and mortality. We will model air and noise pollution exposure from the DEHM/UBM/AirGIS model system for air pollution and the SoundPLAN software for noise pollution.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Odense University Hospital

• Professor Jes Sanddal Lindholt

Department of Cardiology, Odense University Hospital

• Professor Axel Cosmus Pyndt Diederichsen

Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde

• Associated Professor Lise M. Frohn
• Professor Jørgen Brandt
• Associate Professor Matthias Ketzel
• Postdoctoral Fellow Jibran Khan

Associate professor Matthias Ketzel

Kræftens Bekæmpelse

• Professor Ole Raaschou-Nielsen
• Senior Researcher Ulla Hvidtfeldt

Cardiovascular Research Unit, Odense University Hospital - Svendborg

• Professor Kenneth Egstrup

Publications associated with the project

Lambrechtsen, J., Mayntz, S. K., Engdam, K. B., Egstrup, K., Nielsen, J., Steffensen, F. H., Frohn, L. M., Brandt, J., Ketzel, M., Pyndt Diederichsen, A. C., & Lindholt, J. S. (2021). Relation between Accumulated Air Pollution Exposure and Sub-Clinical Cardiovascular Disease in 33,723 Danish 60-74-Year-Old Males from the Background Population (AIR-CARD): A Method Article. Cardiology, 146(1), 19-26. https://doi.org/10.1159/000511128