Extremely cold temperatures increase the risk of death in people with cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests.
due to freezing conditions Heavy snow overnight to bring much of Britaina study in the journal Circulation warns that people with conditions such as irregular heartbeat are at greater risk whenever the weather turns bad.
UK weather live updates: Coldest day of the year dips below -15C
The researchers found that for every 1,000 cardiovascular deaths, extreme cold weather was associated with nine more cases.
The trend was less pronounced on days of extreme heat, which resulted in two more deaths.
it appears in Britain’s temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius In summer, when excess deaths among people over 65 highest level since 2004.
Of the types of heart disease, heart failure patients had the greatest number of additional deaths, with nearly 13 deaths on extremely cold days and nearly three on extremely hot days.
How was the study conducted?
This peer-reviewed global study was carried out by a multi-country, multi-city collaborative research network.
It analyzed data on more than 32 million deaths from cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death globally – in 27 countries on five continents between 1979 and 2019.
The number of deaths was compared to days in the hottest and coldest 2.5 percent of each city with days with “best temperature,” defined as the temperature associated with the lowest death rate.
“While 1 in 100 cardiovascular disease deaths can be attributed to extreme temperature days, the temperature effect was even more pronounced when looking at heart failure deaths,” said study co-author Haitham Khraishah of the University of Maryland.
“While we don’t know why, this could be explained by the progressive nature of heart failure as a disease, which makes patients susceptible to temperature.
“This is an important finding because a quarter of heart failure patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, and only 20% of heart failure patients survive 10 years after diagnosis.”
Findings ‘show importance of climate change fight’
The researchers conclude that more work is needed to develop strategies to mitigate the effects of temperature extremes in the face of intensified climate change.
One proposal is to introduce targeted warning systems and advice for vulnerable groups.
“We need to stay on top of emerging environmental risks,” says Harvard University’s Barrak Alahmad.
“I call on professional cardiology organizations to develop guidelines and scientific statements on the intersection of temperature extremes and cardiovascular health.
“In a statement like this, we may provide additional guidance for healthcare professionals and identify clinical data gaps and future research priorities.”