Mask-wearing may have reduced heart attack risk linked to air pollution (IMAGE)
Caption
Graphical overview of a nationwide Japanese study (2012–2022) showing that short-term PM2.5 exposure increased hospitalization risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), particularly MINOCA. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PM2.5-related risk of MINOCA significantly declined, suggesting that behavioral changes such as mask-wearing may have reduced pollution-triggered heart events.
Image from Ishii et al., “Air pollution before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: changes in risk of acute myocardial infarction,” European Heart Journal (2026). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Credit
Ishii et al.
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CC BY