Heat increases heart attack risk for men
RISES in temperature could mean the difference between life and death for men in their 60s.
Scientists looked to see if spells of hot weather were linked to a surge in deaths from heart and blood conditions.
An increase of one degree Celsius in summer night-time temperatures was associated with a 3.1 per cent rise in death rates among men aged 60 to 64, researchers found.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) cause a quarter of all fatalities in the UK, more than 160,000 each year or one every three minutes.
Previous studies examining the link between hot weather and heart attacks reported inconsistent results.
But a study at the University of Toronto, in Canada, took a closer look and its findings were published in the BMJ. Its author, post-graduate student Haris Majeed, said: “Considering the growing likelihood of extreme summers in western USA and UK, our results invite preventive population health initiatives and novel urban policies aimed at reducing future risk of CVD events.”
Data on adults who died in June or July from cardiovascular diseases between 2001 and 2015 was analysed by the researchers. These months are when the majority of heatwaves are likely.
Data was also collected from across the US at the same latitudes to England and Wales, like King County and Washington.
In King County, a one degree rise increased the risk of death by 4.8 per cent among those aged 65 and under, but not in older men.
Overall deaths from heart and blood diseases fell over the 15 year period, in line with better preventative care.
Mr Majeed said: “Nevertheless, a considerable residual risk persisted and in England and Wales, rates remained more than 50 per cent higher in adults aged 65 to 69 than those aged 60 to 64.
“This was worrying, because in recent years, populous regions such as the ones studied had experienced a proportionate rise in night-time rather than daytime summer heat intensity.”