Cold weather increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, making these two diseases the cause of many deaths in many countries.
This article is expertly advised by BS.CK2 Pham Tran Xuan Hong, Head of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Department, Tam Duc Heart Hospital.
How does cold weather affect your health?
Cold weather increases the risk of heart and circulatory problems, such as heart attack and stroke. As temperatures decrease, stroke rates increase and are a cause of high mortality in many countries.
A German study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology found that for every 2.9 degree Celsius drop in temperature in 24 hours, stroke increased by 11% and was higher in people already at risk. .
In Brazil, a study of about 56,000 stroke deaths over a decade in Sao Paulo found that falling temperatures can increase stroke deaths, especially in people over 65 years old.
A study published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases examined nearly 172,000 ischemic stroke hospitalizations in the US and found they occurred more frequently in colder average temperatures. and when temperatures fluctuate significantly.
In fact, the heart needs to work harder when it’s cold. Specifically, when you are outdoors in cold weather, your body will react by narrowing your blood vessels to retain heat. This restriction of blood flow can limit the supply of oxygen to the heart, and the heart has to work harder to circulate blood through narrow blood vessels.
Due to peripheral vasoconstriction, your blood pressure tends to increase when the outdoor temperature drops. Your heart rate also tends to increase in cold weather as a way to keep your body warm. This adds to the burden on the heart and puts people with heart disease at greater risk of heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure (CHF).
Besides, when the weather is cold, the body’s clotting factors are more active, increasing the risk of blood clots forming in the arteries, increasing the risk of plaque rupture, leading to myocardial infarction and stroke. collapse.
Additionally, if you do not wear appropriate clothing in cold weather, your body temperature can drop below 95 degrees F (35 degrees C), which is hypothermia. If you have hypothermia, it can affect the function of your heart, nervous system, other organs, and it can cause paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).
Many strokes occur in cold weather. Image: Net Doctor
How to prevent
- Avoid going out when it’s cold. If you go outside, dress warmly in layers, keep your head and hands warm, and wear warm socks and shoes.
- Don’t overexert yourself.
- Don’t let your body get too hot:
- You wear warm clothes and then engage in physical activity that can lead to an increase in body temperature, which causes blood vessels to dilate or dilate suddenly leading to hypotension (low blood pressure) if you have heart disease. Therefore, when you go out in the cold and feel sweaty, it means your body temperature is increasing.
- If you have heart problems, consider this sweating a danger sign, stop what you are doing and go inside.
- Get a flu shot.
- Do not drink alcohol before going out in cold environments.