Every time a heat wave is on the way, alerts go out, warning that high temperatures can overtax our hearts.
But a new study shows that cold weather hurts our hearts more often than the heat. A lot more often.
A research team led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that cold temperatures are linked to more than 42,000 cardiac deaths every year, compared to about 2,200 related to heat.
That translates to roughly 19 cold-related cardiac deaths for every one related to heat.
The study noted that most cardiac deaths related to the cold are recorded simply as heart attacks or strokes. Temperature is rarely even a footnote.
Cold temperatures boost blood pressure, strain the heart and make clots more likely. That puts people with existing heart or metabolic conditions, like diabetes or kidney disease, more at risk.
In the study, the researchers pulled Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cardiovascular death records for adults 25 and older from 819 counties, from the year 2000 to 2020.
That data represents about 82% of all adults in the U.S.
They then used weather data to map the relationship between temperature and cardiac death rates, pinpointing seasonal patterns and long-term trends. One interesting tidbit: The scientists found that the ideal temperature for our hearts, when cardiovascular death risk is lowest, is 73.8 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s key, because for much of the U.S., and for most of the year, average daily temperatures fall below that.
The researchers said health systems should weave temperature forecasts into emergency plans. And high-risk patients need help well before Old Man Winter arrives.