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Especially hot summer nights seem to lead to increased cardiovascular deaths in the mens over 60, but not in women, suggests new research published in the journal BMJ Open.
Previous studies have already seen the relationship between periods of high temperatures and sudden increases in deaths and hospitalizations due to cardiovascular diseases. However, findings related to age and gender have so far been inconsistent, so researchers at the University of Toronto set out to examine any possible link between high summer night temperatures and increased deaths. from cardiovascular disease (CVD) among people aged 60 to 69 years.
They studied data from the Office for National Statistics on adult deaths attributed to CVD during the months of June and July each year between 2001 and 2015 in England and Wales because heat waves in the UK are more frequent and intense during these months. months.
They also collected official US data for King County, Washington, a similar waterfront region, parallel in latitude to England and Wales, with comparable land-ocean atmospheric properties and a similarly low prevalence of residential air conditioning. The US data, however, only included men.
In addition, they analyzed official weather data from the United Kingdom and the United States.
The results showed that, between 2001 and 2015, there were 39,912 CVD deaths (68.9% in men) in England and Wales and 488 deaths in King County.
On England and Walesafter allowing for certain variables, a 1°C increase in typical summer night temperature was associated with a 3.1% increased risk of mortality by CVD among men aged 60 to 64 years, but not in older men or in either of the two age groups of women.
At king countyan increase of 1°C was associated with a 4.8% increase in mortality risk by CVD among people aged 65 years or younger, but not in older men.
Over the observed 15-year time period, overall CVD rates declined substantially in both regions on an annual basis and markedly during the summer months, in line with increased population acceptance of effective primary and secondary preventive therapies over the course of the year. weather.
However, considerable residual risk remained, according to the authors, and in England and Wales, event rates remained more than 50% higher in adults aged 65 to 69 years than in those aged 60 to 64 years. This is concerning, they added, because in recent years, populated regions like those studied have seen a proportional increase in the intensity of summer heat at night rather than during the day.
This is an observational study, so it can’t establish causality, and the researchers acknowledge some limitations of their work. However, among the strengths of the study were its large population size data and the use of rigorous national meteorological and mortality data.
“The current findings should spur similar investigation of exposure and event rates in other populated mid- to high-latitude regions. Given the increasing likelihood of extreme summers in the western US and UK, our results call for preventive population health initiatives and new urban policies aimed at reducing future risk of CVD events,” they concluded. .
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