Tag: extreme heat

Categories : Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

Beta Blockers and Antiplatelet Drugs Tied to Heat-related MI Risk

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Camilo Jimenez on Unsplash

During hot weather events, people taking beta blockers and antiplatelet medications such as aspirin could be at increased risk of a myocardial infarction (MI), amplifying the risk already present from hot weather.

A new study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research found that, among people suffering non-fatal MI associated with hot weather, a greater portion are taking these heart drugs.

“Patients taking these two medications have higher risk,” said Assistant Professor Kai Chen, first author of the study. “During heat waves, they should really take precautions.”

External environmental factors like air pollution and cold weather can trigger MIs, and there is growing evidence to suggest that hot weather can do so, too. But epidemiologists are still working to identify which groups of people are most vulnerable to these environmental extremes.

The authors looked at 2494 cases sourced from a registry, in which individuals experienced a non-fatal MI in Augsburg, Germany during the hot-weather months (May–September) between 2001 and 2014.

In previous research, they had shown that exposure to either heat or cold made heart attacks more likely, and they calculated that heat-related MI rates would rise once the planet has warmed by 2–3°C.

The current study built on that research by examining patients’ medication use prior to their MI.

They analysed the data in a way that let patients serve as their own controls, by comparing heat exposure on the day of the MI versus the same days of the week within the same month. That is, if a person had an NI on the third Thursday in June, the authors compared their temperature exposure that day to their temperature exposure on other, “control” Thursdays in June.

It turned out that users of beta-blockers or antiplatelet medications were likelier to have an MI during the hottest days compared to control days. Antiplatelet medication use was associated with a 63% increase in risk and beta-blockers with a 65% increase. People taking both drugs had a 75% higher risk. Non-users of those medications were not more likely to have a heart attack on hot days.

When researchers compared younger patients (25–59 years) to older ones (60–74 years), they found, as expected, that the younger ones were a healthier group, with lower rates of coronary heart disease. Yet younger patients taking beta-blockers and antiplatelet medications were more susceptible to heat-related heart attack than older patients, despite the older ones having more heart disease.

Another clue that these two medication types may render people more vulnerable is that, other heart medications generally didn’t show a connection to heat-related heart attacks. An exception was statins, which taken by younger people, were associated with an over threefold risk of a heart attack on hot days.

“We hypothesise that some of the medications may make it hard to regulate body temperature,” Asst Prof Chen said. He plans to find out why in future studies.

The results suggest that as climate change progresses, heart attacks might become a greater hazard to some people with cardiovascular disease.

Source: Yale School of Public Health

Categories : Environmental EffectsTags :

Extreme Heat Health Risks Are Higher for Younger Adults

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels

A new study in the US has found that complications from extreme heat appear to be more pronounced among young and middle-aged adults than older adults.

Extreme heat poses an increasing threat to the public, due to the continued effects of climate change. Although the adverse health impacts of heat have been well documented among older adults, less is known about the potential impacts of heat on young and middle-aged adults.

Published in the BMJ, the study examined the relationship between extreme temperatures and emergency department (ED) visits, and found that days of extreme heat were associated with an increase risk of ED visits for any cause, heat-related illness, renal disease, and mental disorders among all adults, but the strongest association was found among adults ages 18-64.

Prior research on heat’s health impacts have mostly focused on mortality or hospital admissions among seniors. This study is the first national-scale assessment of extreme heat effects on adults of all ages, measured with ED visits.

“Many illnesses that lead to utilisation of the ED do not lead to hospitalisation because they can be treated in a short amount of time, particularly among the younger adult population,” said study senior author Gregory Wellenius, professor of environmental health and director of the Program on Climate and Health at SPH. “By looking at emergency room visits, we aimed to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the true burden of disease that might be attributed to the days of high heat.”

Prof Wellenius and colleagues analysed healthcare claims data to quantify the risk of ED visits for any cause and for heat-associated conditions during the warm season (between May and September) from 2010 to 2019.

For the study, the researchers analysed claims data among 74 million adults, including more than 22 million ED visits. They found that days of extreme heat (varying by location, but averaging about 34°C), were associated with a 66% greater risk of ED visits for heat-related illness, as well as a 30% increased risk for renal disease, compared to ED visits on cooler days. But the risk according to extreme heat varied by age. A day of extreme heat was associated with a 10.3% higher risk of ED visits among people ages 45 to 54 years old, compared to a 3.6% higher risk among those older than 75.

“Younger adults may be at greater risk of exposure to extreme heat, particularly among workers that spend substantial time outdoors,” says study lead author Shengzhi Sun, research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at SPH. “Younger adults may also not realise that they too can be at risk on days of extreme heat.”

Prior studies had shown that people in US counties with lower warm-season temperatures still experience higher risks of heat-related complications.
“While extreme heat threatens everyone’s health, this study provides further evidence that it is especially dangerous in regions with cooler climates that may be less adapted to heat,” says study co-author Kate Weinberger, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health. “As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, the implementation of heat adaptation measures in these regions will be critically important.”

According to the researchers, many of these heat-related complications can be prevented through policy changes that reduce exposure to heat, or improve people’s susceptibility and adaptivity to heat.

“By looking at emergency department visits for different causes and for several age groups, we were able to characterise with accuracy the varying impact on health on different populations,” said study co-author, Professor Francesca Dominici. “An important goal of this study is to provide actionable information to clinicians and public health experts regarding how to prevent these emergency department visits, also considering that we can anticipate when these extreme heat events are likely to occur.”

Source: Boston University