NEWSLINE PAPER,- Microplastics have been found in more than 50 percent of the fat clusters of the blocked arteries. This is the first data to draw a link between microplastic and its impact on human health.
Now, a new study by researchers in China has found microplastics in a blood clot that was removed by surgery from the arteries in the heart and brain, as well as the inner veins in the lower legs.
The study is only a small study, involving 30 patients, but a Chinese research team managed to find a potential link between the level of microplastics in blood clotting and the severity of the disease.
Thirty patients involved in the study underwent surgery to remove a blood clot after a stroke, heart attack, or inner vein thrombosis, a condition that causes a clot to form in the inner veins, usually in the legs or pelvis.
On average, 65-year-old patients have a different health history and lifestyle such as smoking, alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, or diabetes. They use plastic products every day, and are distributed among patients from rural and urban areas.
Microplastics of various shapes and sizes were detected using chemical analysis techniques in 24 of the 30 blood clots studied, with varying concentrations.
The testing also identified types of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) plastics. This is not surprising since PVC (often used in construction) and PE (especially used in bottles and shopping bags) are the two most commonly produced plasters.
The new study also detected polyamide 66 in the clamp, a plastic commonly used in fabrics and textiles. Of the 15 types of plastics identified in this study, PE is the most commonly found plastic, which is 54 percent of the particles analyzed.
The researchers found that people with higher levels of microplastics in their blood clots also had higher D-dimer levels compared to patients who did not detect microplastic in their thrombus.
D-dimers are fragments of proteins that are released when a blood clot breaks down, which are normally not present in blood plasma.
High levels of D-dimer in blood tests may indicate a blood clot, so researchers suspect that microplastics may accumulate in the blood aggravating the clot.
However, more research is needed to investigate that, and the study does not measure microplastics in the patient's blood and is an observational study, and it only shows a possible relationship, not a cause.
(Newsline Paper Teams)