Extreme temperatures responsible for fatal heart attacks

When it is unusually cold or hot, our heart hurts and we die more. Many studies have shown an increase in cardiovascular events during episodes of extreme cold or heat waves, but the phenomenon remains difficult to quantify precisely. Authors have just calculated that these abnormal temperature extremes would be directly linked to more than 1% of cardiovascular deaths worldwide, they report in Traffic the journal of the American Heart Association.

One percent may not seem like much, and it is compared to other known risk factors (tobacco, poor diet, lack of physical activity, etc.). But cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, with nearly 18 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization. The total deaths attributable to unusually cold or hot days are therefore large.

also readCardiovascular risk: a composite score to better target therapy

To estimate the impact of extreme temperatures…