Rising heat-related deaths in the US
Extreme heat can take a heavy toll on your heart. Heart disease is
the leading cause of death in the US overall. With rising levels of heat in the
US, more heart-related deaths are predicted, according to a new report.
What does the data say?
According to the study published in the journal Circulation, the
heat index (includes both temperature and humidity) between 2008 and 2019 in
the US was associated with nearly 1,700 excess cardiovascular deaths each year.
The heat index reached at least 90 degrees on an average of 54 days each summer
in the US.
If fossil-fuel development continues to expand globally and the
world only makes minimal efforts to reduce planet-warming pollution, there
could be 80 days of extreme heat each summer. This will increase the number of
heat-related cardiovascular deaths by about three times – 5,500 excess deaths
per year, the researchers found. The analysis captured projections for the
years 2036 through 2065, based on county-level data for the 48 states in the
contiguous US.
Impact of heat on heart
The human body can operate only within a narrow temperature range.
The heart is susceptible to the effects of heat. When the temperature in your
environment goes up, "the heart beats faster and harder to get blood away
from the core of the body, to transport heat away from the vital organs,” Dr.
Sameed Khatana, an assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at Penn
Medicine and senior author of the new study said, quoted CNN. “For people with
pre-existing cardiovascular diseases, their heart might not be able to keep up
with the increased demands on the cardiovascular system that temperature is
causing."
Heart risks associated with heat
Longer exposures to heat can also lead to more complex changes
such as increased inflammation and blood clotting that can raise the risk for
heart attack and stroke, he said.
Who is more at risk?
Black adults in the US are particularly vulnerable to the heart-related harms of extreme heat, the researchers found. Black people are also more likely to live with other heart-risk conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes. Further, seniors age 65 and older and adults living in metropolitan areas (perhaps living in areas with less tree cover or without access to air conditioning) are also projected to be disproportionately affected.
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