Study reveals how climate change is affecting heart health

NEW YORK (HealthDay News)—Climate change is harming the heart health of people around the world, a new review warns.

Extreme temperatures, hurricanes and other dangerous weather events contribute to an increased risk of heart disease and heart-related death, researchers reported in the June 12 issue of the journal JAMA Cardiology.

“Climate change is already negatively impacting cardiovascular health in the United States and around the world,” said Dhruv Kazi, associate director of the Outcomes Research Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “Urgent action is needed to mitigate climate-related cardiovascular risk, particularly among our most vulnerable populations.”

Over the past century, average global temperatures have risen by more than two degrees, the researchers said. This has led to long-term changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and disrupting ecosystems.

The 10 warmest years in history have occurred in the last decade, researchers reveal.

For this review, scientists evaluated data from 500 studies conducted between 1970 and 2023.

All of the studies looked at associations between heart health and weather events, including extreme temperatures, wildfire smoke, ozone pollution, saltwater intrusion and events such as hurricanes, dust storms and droughts.

They found that the heart health of older adults, minority groups and the underprivileged are disproportionately affected by climate change.

They also found that the risk to heart health posed by extreme weather events can last for months or years after the initial danger.

For example, the risk of death from heart disease remained elevated even a year after Hurricane Sandy, which caused nearly $20 billion in damage in New York City alone in 2012, researchers note.

fires

Additionally, some events, such as wildfires, can cause widespread risk to people hundreds of miles away from the fire. Wildfire smoke increases the risk of cardiac arrest and other heart health problems, according to studies.

“With many Americans now exposed to wildfire smoke each year, as was the case with the Canadian wildfires that affected New York City last summer, further studies are urgently needed to accurately quantify this risk,” Kazi said in a Beth Israel news release.

Heart health

Kazi lists the ways in which the phenomenon of climate change can affect heart health:

Extreme heat causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

Wildfire smoke has the power to trigger systemic inflammation.

Natural disasters cause mental anguish.

Hurricanes and floods can disrupt people’s medical care.

More studies

“We know that these pathways have the potential to undermine cardiovascular health in the population, but the magnitude of the impact, and which populations will be particularly susceptible, need further study,” says Kazi.

More research is also needed to assess the risk of climate change to heart health in poorer countries, where people may be at even higher risk, the researchers add.

“Although data on outcomes in low-income countries are lacking, our study shows that several of the environmental stressors that are already increasing in frequency and intensity with climate change are associated with increased cardiovascular risk,” said lead investigator Mary Rice, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Patients can also take steps to protect their heart health by planning ahead and minimizing their exposure to extreme heat and wildfire smoke, Kazi notes.

For example, they can create contingency plans to ensure they have a constant supply of necessary medications in the event of a flood or hurricane.