2023-07-24 20:39:38
Updated Monday, July 24, 2023 – 20:39
According to a study with more than 200,000 samples, these conditions especially increase the risk among women
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Although there are several factors that can double the risk of a heart attack, there is a combination that is especially deadly: heat and high levels of pollution by fine particles, two elements that trigger the risk of death, especially in the elderly and women.
This is the main conclusion of a study published this Monday in Circulation -the journal of the American Heart Association- based on the analysis of more than 202,000 deaths from myocardial infarction between 2015-2020 in the Chinese province of Jiangsu, a region with four distinct seasons and a wide range of temperatures and levels of pollution by fine particles.
Fine particles less than 2.5 microns in size come from car exhaust, factories, or fires, and inhalation causes heart disease and stroke, among other problems.
These particles “may interact synergistically with extreme temperatures and negatively affect cardiovascular health”said lead author Yuewei Liu, a researcher at Sun Yat-sen University’s School of Public Health in Guangzhou, China.
To find out if joint exposure to extreme temperatures and pollution affects health, the team analyzed 202,678 heart attack deaths between 2015-2020 recorded in Jiangsu. The study confirmed that days that combined extreme heat and high levels of fine particle air pollution increased the risk of death from heart attack, more in women than in men and in the elderly more than in the young.
Specifically, the deaths occurred among adults with a mean age of 77.6 years, 52% were over 80 years of age and 52% were men.
Temperature extremes were measured by an area’s daily heat index that includes the combined effect of heat and humidity. And both the duration and intensity of heat waves and cold waves were evaluated.
Myocardial infarction deaths, or ‘case-days’, during these periods were compared to control dates on the same day of the week of the same month, i.e. if a death occurred on a Wednesday, all other Wednesdays of the same month would be considered control days.
Increased risk of fatal heart attack in heat waves lasting several days
Particle levels were considered high on any day with a mean fine particulate level greater than 37.5 micrograms per cubic meter. Compared with control days, the risk of suffering a fatal heart attack increased by 18% in 2-day heat waves with heat indices equal to or greater than the 90th percentile (between 28.1 and 36.6 degrees Celsius), and up to 74% higher in 4-day heat waves with heat indices equal to or greater than the 97.5 percentile (between 34.8 and 43 degrees C).
Cold-related heart attacks were 4% more frequent during 2-day cold snaps with temperatures at or below the 10th percentile (0.7 to 4.7 degrees Celsius), and 12% more frequent during 3-day cold snaps with temperatures at or below the 2.5th percentile (-2.7 to 2.7 degrees Celsius).
However, with contamination greater than 37.5 micrograms per cubic meter, deaths increased in 4-day heat waves but not in the cold ones.
By sex and age, more deaths were detected among women than among men during heat waves and among people aged 80 and over. The median age of all individuals who died of a heart attack in Jiangsu between 2015 and 2020, even during non-extreme temperature events, was 77.6 years; 52.1% of these individuals were over 80 years of age.
“Our findings show that reduce exposure to both extreme temperatures and fine particulate pollution may be helpful in preventing premature deaths from heart attacks, especially for women and older adults,” Liu said.
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