Previous studies have focused on the possibility of hot weather conditions including extreme or prolonged periods of high temperatures coinciding with increases in deaths and hospitalizations due to heart disease. So far, however, the findings regarding age and gender have been inconsistent. Researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada have begun examining any possible link between high summer temperatures and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths between the ages of 60 and 69. They studied data from the Office for National Statistics on nearly 40,000 deaths attributed to cardiovascular disease in June and July each year between 2001 and 2015 in England and Wales, as heat waves in the United Kingdom are more frequent and intense these months. The results, published in the journal BMJ Open, showed that, after taking into account some variables, a 1 C increase in normal summer night temperature was associated with a 3.1% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality among men aged 60 to 64 years old, but not older. men or women in any age group. The researchers also looked at data from the United States on King County, Washington, D.C., an area with similar sea views, parallel to England and Wales, with comparable land-ocean atmospheric properties and similarly low domestic air conditioning. U.S. figures for about 500 deaths included only men. In King County, a 1C increase was associated with a 4.8% increased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality among people aged 65 and under, but not in older men. The findings are worrying, the authors said, because in recent years, areas such as those studied have seen a corresponding increase in summer heat intensity during the night rather than during the day. The study was observational, so the causality cannot be substantiated. The researchers also identified some limitations. However, the strengths of the research included large population data and the use of strict national mortality data and meteorological data. “Given the growing likelihood of extreme summers in the western United States and the United Kingdom, our results call for precautionary public health initiatives and new urban policies aimed at reducing the risk of future cardiovascular events,” the authors conclude.
