On the Assessment of Air Quality Impact on the Health of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

<jats:p>Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major clinical challenge in modern family medicine, as it combines high cardiovascular risk and increased sensitivity to adverse environmental factors. In Ukraine, where obesity, hypertension, and insulin resistance are highly prevalent and where air quality has undergone significant changes in recent years, it is relevant to study their combined impact on the cardiovascular system (CVS). The objective: to assess the impact of air pollution on CVS indicators in patients with MetS. Materials and methods. A total of 49 patients (38 women and 11 men) were examined, who underwent laboratory and instrumental examinations, including echocardiography and blood pressure (BP) measurement. Body mass index (BMI), glucose and insulin levels, HOMA-IR index, as well as the average value of the complex air pollution index (API) by place of residence for the period 2019–2023 were determined. Multivariate linear regression models were used for analysis, taking into account age, gender, and BMI. Results. Higher API values were significantly associated with increased systolic (β = 0.44; p = 0.0067) and diastolic (β = 0.39; p = 0.012) BP, as well as with greater left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (β = 0.35; p = 0.013) and volume (β = 0.33; p = 0.015). The HOMA-IR index was significantly associated with left ventricular mass (β = 0.52; p &lt; 0.001), systolic (β = 0.34; p = 0.039), and diastolic (β = 0.47; p = 0.005) BP. In several models, the effect of insulin resistance exceeded that of air pollution. Conclusions. The findings confirm the significance of air pollution and insulin resistance as interrelated risk factors for cardiovascular changes in patients with MetS and may be used to plan preventive measures.</jats:p>