Topic: Environment and Cardiovascular Health

The global landscape of cardiovascular medicine is undergoing a profound paradigm shift. While traditional risk factors—such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and sedentary behavior—remain central to clinical practice, they do not fully account for the rising global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is an urgent need to address "non-traditional" determinants of health, particularly the external environment. At present, anthropogenic changes have fundamentally altered the human ecosystem. From the air we breathe to the urban environments we inhabit, environmental stressors are now recognized not merely as background noise, but as primary drivers of vascular dysfunction, oxidative stress, and systemic metabolic imbalance.

The health impacts of these environmental exposures are characterized by chronic, low-dose, and multicomponent interactions that often operate through complex biological pathways. These processes can accelerate vascular aging and contribute to the development and progression of heart failure. At the same time, advances in environmental monitoring technologies have significantly enhanced our ability to quantify such exposures. The emergence of high-resolution satellite imaging, wearable biosensors, and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled microsensors now allows for unprecedented real-time monitoring of personal exposure. When combined with "omics" technologies and advanced data analytics, these tools facilitate a transition from population-level approximations to precise, individualized assessments of environmental influences on human physiology.

This Special Issue, "Environment and Cardiovascular Health," curates ten pivotal articles exploring the intricate interplay between environmental stressors and cardiovascular longevity. The topics covered include:

● Ambient Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease;

● Extreme Climate and Cardiovascular Disease;

● Impact of Environmental Noise and Light Pollution on Cardiovascular Disease;

● Impact of Heavy Metal Pollution on Metabolic Cardiovascular Disease;

● Exposomics and Environmental Epidemiology in Cardiovascular Health;

● Multi-Scale Modeling to Assess Environmental Effects on Cardiovascular Health;

● Emerging contaminants(e.g. Microplastics, Antibiotics, POPs) and Metabolic Cardiovascular Disease.

By bringing together original research articles, comprehensive reviews, systematic reviews, perspectives, and case reports, we aim to provide a holistic overview of the current state of the field. It is our hope that this Special Issue serves as both a scientific benchmark and a call to action for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to integrate environmental health considerations into the future of cardiovascular prevention and care.