Too Hot? Get Ready for the Cold!

This year, especially, we've heard of a number of deaths associated with excessive heat in different parts of the country.  Associations between extremes of weather-related temperatures and mortality have long been recognized. But a new study from UK, reported in the British Medical Journal, described the increased risk of heart attack when the outside temperature drops. 

This study, done by researchers at the London School of Hygiene, estimated the change in rate of heart attack (myocardial infarction) in relation to 1⁰C changes in ambient outside temperature, including effects delayed by up to 4 weeks.  In the 15 areas covered, there were over 84,000 hospital admissions over a 3-year period.  For every 1⁰C (1.8⁰F) decrease in temperature there was a 2% increase in the risk of heart attack.  Across the UK, this would amount to an extra 200 heart attacks, which would be concentrated in the subsequent 2 weeks.  Older people (over 75) and those with previous coronary heart disease were slightly more vulnerable, while those taking aspirin regularly were less vulnerable.  There was no increased risk of heart attack at higher temperatures (although “high temperatures” in UK don’t usually reach the levels encountered in the USA). 

This association was unrelated to air pollution, flu epidemics, and seasonality.  It seems clear, therefore, that much of the recognized increase in mortality related to cold temperatures can be laid at the door of the coronary arteries.  So now’s the time, before the cold weather comes, to undertake the lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, weight control, etc) that are so important in keeping your arteries healthy.