Extreme heat, air pollution, and heart attack risk: who is most vulnerable
Official title: Extreme Heat and Acute Myocardial Infarction: Effect Modifications by Sex, Medical History, and Air Pollution
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11138632 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether very hot weather, humidity, temperature swings, and air pollution make heart attacks more likely for younger and older adults and whether sex, medical history, socioeconomic status, or common heart medications change that risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | September 4, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $743,163 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL169171-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11138632 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have had an acute myocardial infarction—especially younger adults (about 18–55 years) and older adults (about 75 years and older)—and who are part of or eligible for the VIRGO or SILVER-AMI cohorts would be most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of heart attack or those under 18 are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
We will combine detailed medical record and interview information from two large U.S. groups of people who experienced heart attacks—one focused on younger adults (VIRGO) and one on older adults (SILVER-AMI)—and link each event to high-resolution local temperature, humidity, ozone, and particle pollution data around the time of the heart attack. Researchers will compare exposures in the days before heart attacks to other time periods to see if extreme heat, heat-humidity measures, temperature variability, or ozone/PM2.5 were higher before events. The team will examine whether risk differs by sex, socioeconomic status, pre-existing conditions, or use of medications like ACE inhibitors. Statistical methods will account for individual characteristics and co-exposures to identify groups who are especially vulnerable.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify people at higher risk during heat waves and poor air quality so they receive targeted warnings, medication review, or preventive care.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show heat and fine particles can trigger heart attacks, but combining detailed patient-level data with high-resolution heat, humidity, ozone, and medication information across young and very old patients is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Kai — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Chen, Kai
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Targeted nanotherapy to calm inflammation, grow new blood vessels, and prevent scarring after a heart attack
A new treatment approach uses engineered secretions from immune cells delivered early after a heart attack to reduce inflammation, promote blood vessel growth, and limit scarring to protect heart function.
-
Real-time multi-lead ECG from wearables to help detect heart attacks early
A new AI-based approach uses everyday wearable sensors to turn simple PPG signals into multi-lead ECG data to monitor for heart attacks in real time, even outside the clinic.
-
Extreme heat and heart attack risk: who is most at risk and why
High heat and air pollution may raise the risk of heart attacks, and this project looks at who is most affected.
-
MMP-responsive biomaterials to treat a heart attack
A heart-attack treatment using smart materials that release healing therapies right where the heart was damaged, aimed at people who’ve had a heart attack.
-
Nanoparticle therapy to reduce inflammation and scarring after a heart attack
Tiny engineered nanoparticles will deliver anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring substances to the heart soon after a heart attack to help people recover better.
-
Using ultrasound images and AI to better describe and predict heart attacks
This project uses routine heart ultrasound images plus AI to create detailed profiles that help predict outcomes for people hospitalized with acute heart attacks.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.