Heart risks in the heat
December 17, 2012
AS the Australian summer
prepares to kick-in full force new
research is indicating that
increasing temperatures may be
linked with an increased risk of
myocardial infarction.
The research, published in the
latest British Medical Journal, looked
at the association between exposure
to higher temperatures and the risk
of myocardial infarction at an
hourly temporal resolution.
To assess the link, researchers
looked at 24,861 hospital admissions
for myocardial infarction occurring
in 11 conurbations during the
warmest months in Scotland and
Wales between 2003-09.
According to the findings there
was strong evidence of an effect of
heat acting 1-6 hours after
exposure to temperatures above an
estimated threshold of 20°C.
As such, researchers noted that
for each 1°C increase in temperature
above this threshold, the risk of
myocardial infarction increased by
1.9%.
“Higher ambient temperatures
above a threshold of 20°C seem to
be associated with a transiently
increased risk of myocardial
infarction 1-6 hours after
exposure,” the researchers said.
“Reductions in risk at longer lags
are consistent with heat triggering
myocardial infarctions early in
highly vulnerable people who
would otherwise have had a
myocardial infarction some time
later (“short term displacement”).
“Policies aimed at reducing the
health effects of hot weather
should include consideration of
effects operating at sub-daily
timescales,” the researchers added.
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