Cold weather responsible for many more stroke and heart attack deaths than heat
Colder temperatures are responsible for significantly more deaths from heart attacks and strokes in the United States than warmer temperatures, according to new data to be presented at ACC.26, the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
While heat consistently gets more attention in terms of public health messaging, these data show that the cold may be the bigger concern. Mount Sinai collaborated with NYU Health, Houston Methodist and Case Western Reserve University for this analysis.
“This may be surprising to many, but most temperature-related cardiovascular deaths are associated with cold, not heat. While heat waves are a major focus for health issues, colder temperatures are associated with far more heart-related deaths over time,” lead author Pedro Rafael Vieira De Olivera Salerno, MD, an internal medicine resident in the Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, in a statement. “As clinicians, we see seasonal patterns in cardiovascular events, but this helps quantify how much cold exposure contributes at the population level. This isn’t just about extreme weather. Even routine cold exposure, especially in vulnerable patients, can increase cardiovascular risk.”
The authors believe this study is the most comprehensive analysis of temperature-related trends in the United States to date. It includes more than 14 million cardiovascular deaths of people over age 25 across 819 counties, covering 80% of the U.S. population between 2000 and 2020. The team linked mortality data with local temperature data and then used statistical models to estimate how deviations from optimal temperatures were associated with cardiovascular death risk.
The data found the optimal temperature for heart health when the lowest risk of death occurred was 74 degrees Fahrenheit. The mortality risk rose asymmetrically when moving away from that point with about 40,000 cardiovascular deaths each year of the study period, while temperatures over 74 degrees accounted for about 2,000 cardiovascular deaths annually. During the entire 20-year period of the study, colder weather contributed to roughly 800,000 deaths, compared to 40,000 deaths occurring in warm weather.
These findings will be presented Monday, March 30, at 9:30 a.m. at ACC.26 in New Orleans. It will be part of the Young Investigators Award Competition finalist outcomes research presentation.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]