Air pollution is a real public health problem, it being one of the five most common causes of mortality in developing countries. However, pollution studies have focused on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems in recent decades. Recently, researchers have moved towards a new direction, tracing a direct link between pollution and stroke. Stroke has many known risk factors such as smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, and hypertension. Pollution is universally widespread, already a matter of public interest, so that, although intuitive, it is difficult to connect the two. The particles found in the air that we breathe, regardless of their origin, can attack the body in different ways, causing inflammation, and triggering a true cascade of phenomena that end up attacking the central nervous system and other organs. This article tries to explain the series of phenomena that determine the harmful effect of particles present in the air, with an increased focus on the central nervous system and especially on strokes. A deeper understanding of these phenomena helps in guiding future studies and finding viable solutions to protect people at risk.
Keywords: air pollution; atherosclerosis; atrial fibrillation; cardiovascular risk; neuroinflammation; stroke.