Heart Attacks, Cold Weather Linked
Chillier weather harder on system, researchers say
Article published in The Toronto Star, November 30, 1999, page A21.
Heart attacks are more deadly during the winter because cold temperatures can increase blood pressure and strain on the heart, researchers say.
Winter heart attack sufferers are 19 per cent less likely to survive than people who have an attack during the summer, despite the same number of attempts to resuscitate them. “People who suffer cardiopulmonary arrest in winter have a significantly lower likelihood of surviving,” Dr. Jill Pell, of the Greater Glasgow Health Board in Scotland, said in a study published in the monthly journal Heart.
Chillier weather can cause blood to become stickier and more likely to clot. Cholesterol levels also tend to be higher during the winter and an increase in respiratory infections can lead to more heart attacks.
Lack of exercise also plays a role.
“Body weight increases in winter because of both increased fat intake and less frequent physical activity. While reular exercise is beneficial, unaccustomed exertion such as shoveling snow can increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest,”Pell and her colleagues said.
The researchers followed 11,000 people who had suffered a heart attack between 1988 and 1997. In addition to their higher risk profiles, people with winter heart attacks usually had their attacks at home and were less likely to receive defibrillation — an electric current to correct the abnormal heart beat.
Barring a move to a warmer climate, the researchers said people can reduce the risk of a heart attack by having adequate indoor heating, wearing warm clothes and avoiding sudden strenuous exercise.
Attempts should also be made to encsure lifestyles, in relation to diet, regular exercise and smoking, are at least as healthy in winter as they are in summer,”they said.