Occupational Exposures as Drivers of Atherosclerosis: Mechanisms, Markers, and Vascular Consequences

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite decades of research into traditional risk factors, a substantial proportion of cardiovascular risk remains unexplained. Occupational exposures represent an important and underrecognised class of atherogenic stimuli that act through well-defined vascular and molecular pathways. The workplace is a primary setting for sustained, chronic exposure to hazards including airborne particulates and gases, heavy metals, noise, chemical agents, shift work, and psychosocial stress. These exposures drive atherogenesis through mechanisms including endothelial dysfunction, systemic and vascular inflammation, oxidative stress, and circadian disruption of lipid and glucose metabolism. Crucially, occupational exposure does not act in isolation, but interacts with classical atherosclerotic pathways, contributing to accelerated plaque development and instability. Over the past decade, accumulating evidence from epidemiological, imaging, and experimental studies has linked specific occupational exposures to subclinical markers of atherosclerosis – including carotid intima-media thickness, coronary artery calcium scoring, and endothelial biomarkers – as well as clinical ASCVD outcomes. Yet these mechanistic links remain insufficiently characterised, and occupational exposures are largely absent from cardiovascular risk stratification models.This Research Topic invites contributions that address the vascular biology and pathophysiology underlying occupational exposure-driven atherosclerosis.To gather further insights into this field, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Molecular and cellular mechanisms by which specific occupational agents promote atherogenesiso Subclinical vascular markers of occupational exposure-related atherosclerotic burdeno The role of cumulative, combined, and duration-dependent exposures in plaque development and progressiono Interactions between occupational stimuli and established atherogenic risk factorso Translational opportunities for integrating occupational exposure history into cardiovascular risk assessment and targeted vascular prevention strategies Topic editors: Xi-Ming Yuan, Ricardas Radisauskas Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84488/occupational-exposures-as-drivers-of-atherosclerosis-mechanisms-markers-and-vascular-consequences