Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyMeta-analysis
Air pollution, cardiac arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death across short-term and long-term exposure models: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- systematic review and meta-analysis
- exploratory global multilevel model
Authors' conclusion
Short-term exposure to particulate air pollution was associated with the risks of atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death. Given the observational evidence base, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and viewed as consistent with, rather than definitive evidence of, an association between particulate exposure and arrhythmia-related events.
Study context
- Population
- Studies examining ambient air pollution and arrhythmia-related outcomesparticipants or analyzed cases across 32 studies
- Participants
- over 34 million participants
- Comparison
- Short-term particulate matter (PM) exposure standardized to 10 μg/m3 and arrhythmia-related outcomes
- Outcome
- Short-term PM associations standardized to 10 μg/m3 (primary meta-analyses)
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Estimate (95% CI)
short-term PM2.5 exposure, per 10 μg/m3atrial fibrillation; 4 studies; I2 = 0.66%
pooled RR 1.045(1.025–1.066)
short-term PM2.5 exposure, per 10 μg/m3sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death; 7 studies; I2 = 49.0%
RR 1.052(1.031–1.075)
short-term PM10 exposure, per 10 μg/m3sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death; 3 studies; I2 = 0%
RR 1.024(1.012–1.036)
Per 10 μg/m3, as printed
Further pooled results
| Outcome | pooled ratio (95% CI) |
|---|---|
| Long-term PM2.5 and atrial fibrillation · I2 = 99.9% · highly heterogeneous, limiting interpretation | 1.077 (1.002–1.158) |
Expanded short-term analyses
- Expanded short-term analyses yielded similar pooled estimates
Additional sensitivity models
- Additional sensitivity models yielded directionally consistent estimates
Original publication
Air pollution, cardiac arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death across short-term and long-term exposure models: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Heart Rhythm. Published 11 August 2026. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2026.07.052
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it