Review : Carbon Monoxide: Causation and Aggravation of Cardiovascular Diseases-A Review of the Epidemiologic and Toxicologic Literature

Abstract

The possible role of carbon monoxide in causing cardiovascular disease, espe cially atherosclerosis, has been investigated for many years. At the beginning experimental studies in animals showed a clear association when a diet con taining cholesterol was used. However, there were deficits in the experimental design and the results could not be repeated when normal diets were used. Later experimental studies show that a connection between carbon monoxide exposure and atherosclerosis does not exist when the animals are fed on nor mal diets without the addition of cholesterol and the experimental designs are satisfactory. More recent studies in cockerels confirm this. All things consid ered, there is no convincing evidence for the hypothesis that exposure to car bon monoxide should cause atherosclerosis. On the other hand, there is evi dence for the hypothesis that exposure to carbon monoxide, even at low levels, alone or in combination with other risk factors, increases the risk of coronary heart disease in subjects already at high risk. Since atherosclerosis is a very prevalent condition in many countries, and since exposure to carbon monox ide also is very common, carbon monoxide exposure over a certain level could cause myocardial infarction in a significant number of subjects.