Extreme Weather Events Linked to Increase in Cardiovascular Health Issues, New Study Says

A new study showed that people were more susceptible to cardiovascular issues associated with high heat, and that risk increased the longer people were exposed to the heat.

This was especially true in typically cooler areas, where buildings frequently lack air conditioning and heart patients are less acclimated to high heat.

Cardiovascular Health Issues

The potential consequences of climate change on cardiovascular health may include altered physiology, psychological strain, and disruptions to health-related infrastructure.

The study team also discovered that long after an extreme weather event occurs, there is still a risk of cardiovascular health problems. Examples of these catastrophes include hurricanes and floods.

The research team referenced a 2012 study on Hurricane Sandy's effects on health, which found that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease persisted for up to a year following the storm.

Given that cardiovascular disease is presently the leading cause of death worldwide, members of the research team expressed their hope that their work may inspire people to take action to improve their health as the globe continues to warm.

Dhruv S. Kazi, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said it's extremely salient that individuals do worry about their cardiovascular health and take cardiovascular events more seriously.

"And I think we can advance the conversation on climate change. If we point out to people that there are these effects on cardiovascular health, cardiovascular disease is not theoretical or something that is going to happen in the future," he added.

Impact On Human Health

The recently published data on the potentially dangerous impacts of heat is growing, and this new study is just one part of it.

In May, researchers at the University of California-Irvine declared that they had discovered the molecular elements that, during heat waves, have a deleterious effect on the brain, liver, and digestive system.

The study's authors discovered alterations in brain genes connected to motor dysfunction, cognitive decline, and a weakening of the blood-brain barrier by examining the heat-stressed tissues of mice.

The researchers wrote that the liver-brain axis, which connects the stomach, liver, and brain, is an essential communication network impacting human health. The effects of climate change on neurological conditions, the liver-brain axis, and gastrointestinal health have received particular attention. Consequences for metabolic liver diseases and associated neuropathologies might also arise.

Additionally, in March, a different team of researchers reported that they had discovered that brief exposure to high temperatures may worsen immune system function and promote inflammation.

The study discovered that for every 5 degrees increase in the Universal Thermal Climate Index-a measurement of how the body reacts to air temperature and a variety of other conditions-killer T-cell levels and other inflammatory markers increased, while B cells, which aid in controlling the body's reaction to pathogens and disease, decreased.

The lead author of the March study, Daniel W. Riggs, an instructor at the University of Louisville's School of Medicine, stated that the results may have especially wide-ranging effects on people who work outside on a daily basis.

"These findings for our project could be even more extreme for outdoor workers that are just exposed all day, more than the general population," he said.