Weather conditions that increase the risk of a heart attack

One heart attack caused due to a sudden stoppage of blood flow to the heart.

The main cause of myocardial infarction is the blockage of the artery that supplies blood to the heart. When a sudden blockage of one of the coronary arteries occurs, the heart muscle cells are no longer able to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen and die.

The degree of damage caused in this case depends on the size of the artery experiencing the blockage.

According to a new Swedish scientific study, days with strong cold wind are more dangerous for a person to have a heart attack.

The study correlated the number of heart attacks with weather conditions and found that they clearly affect the likelihood of having a heart attack.

It was already known that, when it is cold, there is a greater cardiovascular risk, as the heart rate and blood pressure can increase due to the narrowing of the arteries, as well as blood clotting.

The new study shows that there is also a problem when the wind is just too strong. Specifically, when the wind intensity reaches seven Beaufort, the number of heart attacks increases by 7%.

By 14% the risk of heart attack is increased when the temperature drops to zero. An increase in temperature of about seven degrees Celsius is associated with a reduction in the risk of heart attack by almost 3%.

Lund University researchers, led by Professor David Erlinge, director of the Department of Cardiology, analyzed data on 274,000 people with an average age of 72 who had suffered a heart attack over a 15-year period.

"We don't know if staying inside during a cold, windy day actually reduces heart attack risk. But we consider it reasonable, especially for someone who belongs to a risk group. Therefore, we advise anyone who wants to go out to dress appropriately," Erlinge said.

The study was published in the American cardiology journal JAMA Cardiology.

Onmed.gr