Urban Angina, Urban Arrhythmias: Carbon Monoxide and the Heart
Authors: Sandra M. Walden
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1990)

Editorials1 September 1990Urban Angina, Urban Arrhythmias: Carbon Monoxide and the HeartSandra M. Walden, MD, Sidney O. Gottlieb, MDSandra M. Walden, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Sidney O. Gottlieb, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-113-5-337 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptDoes atmospheric air pollution affect the heart? The article by Sheps and colleagues (1) in this issue provides additional evidence that exposure to inhaled carbon monoxide produces direct adverse effects on the heart by facilitating frequent and complex ventricular ectopy in patients with coronary artery disease. While it is known that very high levels of carbon monoxide exposure can cause myocardial ischemia and dysfunction even in normal hearts, recent evidence now indicates that exposure to carbon monoxide at low levels, producing venous carboxyhemoglobin levels in the range commonly found in urban dwellers and certain high-risk occupations (for example, tunnel workers,...References1. ShepsHerbstHinderliter DMA. Ann Intern Med. 1990;113:343-51. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Roughton F. The equilibrium of carbon monoxide with human hemoglobin in whole blood. In: Biological Effects of Carbon Monoxide: Proceedings of a Conference. New York Academy of Sciences, New York, January 12-14, 1970. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1970;174:177-88. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Haldane S. The dissociation of oxyhemoglobin in human blood during partial CO poisoning. J Physiol. 1912;45:22. Google Scholar4. ChanceEreconskaWagner BMM. Mitochondrial responses to carbon monoxide toxicity. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1970;174:193-204. 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AndersonAndelmanStrauchFortuinKnelson ERJNJ. Effect of low-level carbon monoxide exposure on onset and duration of angina pectoris. A study in ten patients with ischemic heart disease. Ann Intern Med. 1973;79:46-50. LinkGoogle Scholar12. AllredBleeckerChaitman EEB. Short-term effects of carbon monoxide exposure on the exercise performance of subjects with coronary artery disease. N Engl J Med. 1989;321:1426-32. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Preliminary report: effect of encainide and flecainide on mortality in a randomized trial of arrhythmia suppression after myocardial infarction. The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) Investigators. N Engl J Med. 1989;321:406-12. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. SternHalperinHornungRingenburgMcCammon FWRVC. Heart disease mortality among bridge and tunnel officers exposed to carbon monoxide. Am J Epidemiol. 1988;128:1276-88. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD 21205 Nextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThe Evaluation of Myocardial Damage in 83 Young Adults with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the East Anatolia Region in TurkeyIschemic Tolerance of the Heart by Adaptation to Chronic Hypoxia is Suppressed by High Subchronic Carbon Monoxide ExposureA curious autopsy case of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in a motor vehicleEffects of exposure to low concentrations of carbon monoxide on exercise performance and myocardial perfusion in young healthy menCarbon MonoxideCarbon Monoxide Poisoning: Mechanism, Clinical Presentation and ManagementPain in the MarriageMortality and incidence of cancer in a cohort of Swedish chimney sweeps: an extended follow up study.INDOOR AIR POLLUTIONNotice of Intended Change—Carbon MonoxideCigarette Smoking, Not Carbon Monoxide, Is the ProblemJames R. Webster Jr., MD 1 September 1990Volume 113, Issue 5Page: 337-338KeywordsAir pollutionAnginaArrhythmiaCarbon monoxideCarboxyhemoglobinCoronary heart diseaseHeartIschemiaMuscular dystrophiesStable coronary artery disease Issue Published: 1 September 1990 PDF DownloadLoading ...