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Colder weather increases risk of heart attack
13 August 2010
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The short-term risk of having a heart attack goes up when temperatures drop, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal.
Previous studies carried out in Europe and the USA have shown that outdoor environmental temperature can have a short-term effect on the number of people dying for any reason. However, little is known about the effect temperature has specifically on the risk of having a heart attack.
In the current study, researchers recorded the number of heart attacks that were medically confirmed over three years in 15 urban areas across England and Wales. The researchers also obtained daily information about the weather over this period, in particular the minimum and maximum temperatures. They then looked at whether the average temperature on a particular day had an effect on how many people had heart attacks at set time periods during the following 28 days.
The results showed that a lower daily temperature was linked to a greater number of heart attacks, in particular during the period eight to 14 days after the day on which the cold temperature was recorded. This was the same when the researchers took into account other factors including air pollution and the level of infectious diseases, such as flu. However, there wasn't any strong evidence to link higher temperatures with the number of people having a heart attack.
This study… provides good data to suggest that colder weather may mean that certain people are more at risk of having a heart attack… It would be valuable to look at wider preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the possible effects of a drop in temperature on the risk of heart attacks.
Heart attacks are common in the UK, and the authors of the study claim that a fall in temperature of 1°C across the country on a single day could be responsible for an additional 200 people having a heart attack.
Dr Virginia Warren, Assistant Medical Director for Bupa, said: "This study adds to the evidence that environmental temperature can have an effect on health, and provides good data to suggest that colder weather may mean that certain people are more at risk of having a heart attack. However, more research is needed to investigate why exactly this happens, and who is most susceptible.
"It would be valuable to look at wider preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the possible effects of a drop in temperature on the risk of heart attacks, perhaps by providing specific advice to the groups of people who are most likely to be at risk."
Key facts
- A heart attack occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the heart becomes blocked so not enough oxygen can reach the heart.
- Most heart attacks are caused by atherosclerosis, in which the walls of the arteries become narrowed as a result of fatty deposits. This leads to a condition called coronary heart disease.
- In the UK, approximately 146,000 heart attacks occur each year. There are certain things that put you at greater risk of a heart attack, including if you smoke, are overweight or if someone else in your family has heart disease.
- You can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by stopping smoking, doing regular exercise and eating a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.
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Read the study
Bhaskaran K, Hajat S, Haines A, et al. Short term effects of temperature on risk of myocardial infarction in England and Wales: time series regression analysis of the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) registry. BMJ 2010; doi: 10.1136/bmj.c3823