Air pollution caused by traffic seems not only harmful to the respiratory tract, but also for the health of the kidneys. Research shows that living near a busy road increases the risk of kidney disease.
These results were found after researchers observed 1,100 patients. They believe that traffic pollution can damage the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. So far, researchers have learned that exposure to polluted air can damage blood vessels and cause several diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
Lead author Dr. Murray Mittleman and colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston using a measure of kidney function test called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR is used to see how well the kidneys function.
"Most people do not realize that a very close connection between heart disease and kidney disease. Yet these problems can usually trigger one another," said Dr Tim Chico, health experts at the University of Sheffield in the UK, as reported by the BBC.
Half of stroke patients in the study lived about a mile from the highway Boston metropolitan area, while others live in about one to 10 kilometers from the highway. These patients showed a low GFR even after the researchers calculated a number of factors such as age, sex, race, smoking, and other medical conditions.
These results were found after researchers observed 1,100 patients. They believe that traffic pollution can damage the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. So far, researchers have learned that exposure to polluted air can damage blood vessels and cause several diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
Lead author Dr. Murray Mittleman and colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston using a measure of kidney function test called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR is used to see how well the kidneys function.
"Most people do not realize that a very close connection between heart disease and kidney disease. Yet these problems can usually trigger one another," said Dr Tim Chico, health experts at the University of Sheffield in the UK, as reported by the BBC.
Half of stroke patients in the study lived about a mile from the highway Boston metropolitan area, while others live in about one to 10 kilometers from the highway. These patients showed a low GFR even after the researchers calculated a number of factors such as age, sex, race, smoking, and other medical conditions.
