The objective was to assess the transient association between air pollution and cardiac arrhythmia. Five databases were searched for studies investigating the association between daily increases in air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and arrhythmia hospitalization or arrhythmia mortality. Two reviewers independently selected studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Outcomes were analyzed via a random-effects model and reported as relative risk and 95% confidence interval. 25 studies satisfied our inclusion criteria and 23 contributed to the meta-analysis. Arrhythmia hospitalization or mortality were associated with increases in PM2.5 (RR = 1.015 per 10 μg/m³, 95% CI: 1.006-1.024), PM10 (RR = 1.009 per 10 μg/m³, 95% CI: 1.004-1.014), carbon monoxide (RR = 1.041 per 1 ppm, 95% CI: 1.017-1.065), nitrogen dioxide (RR = 1.036 per 10 ppb, 95% CI: 1.020-1.053), and sulfur dioxide (RR = 1.021 per 10 ppb, 95% CI: 1.003-1.039), but not ozone (RR = 1.012 per 10 ppb, 95% CI: 0.997-1.027). Both particulate and gaseous components, with the exception of ozone, have a temporal association with arrhythmia hospitalization or mortality. Compared with Europe and North America, a stronger association was noted in Asia.
Keywords: air pollution; cardiac arrhythmia; meta-analysis; systematic review.