Cold enemy of the heart. Especially for people with heart disease for whom every degree less is a danger. “It has also been calculated that every 3 degrees lower in temperature the risk of heart attack for people with coronary heart disease increases by 10%.” Thus Ciro Indolfi, past president of the Italian Society of Cardiology (Sic) and professor of cardiology at the Magna Grecia University of Catanzaro regarding the risks to the heart linked to lower temperatures.
“The cold represents an important risk especially for two categories – highlights Indolfi to Adnkronos Salute – for those with high blood pressure, hypertensive subjects, and for those with a coronary disease”. Regarding hypertension “the problem is linked to the fact that the cold produces vasoconstriction, i.e. the arteries become smaller. And blood pressure tends to increase in winter”. The first piece of advice for hypertensives, therefore, is to “recheck their blood pressure when the temperature drops because these people will most likely need to remodulate their therapy”.
The second piece of advice “is for people who have a coronary disease because intense cold, frost, increases the risk of having a heart attack. It has also been calculated, from a study published a few years ago in the scientific journal 'Jama', that every 3 degrees lower in atmospheric temperature, the risk of heart attack is 10% higher in this population.” The cold, in this case, is bad for the heart because “it increases the heart rate, increases the beat, increases blood pressure, therefore it can create a thrombosis, a thrombus that occludes the coronary artery”.
For patients who “already know they have coronary artery disease, for example those who have had an angioplasty, those who have already had a heart attack, those who have had a bypass, maximum attention is needed when temperatures drop significantly. But Those subjects who are at risk of heart attack, i.e. men over 60, must also be more cautiouswomen after menopause who have numerous risk factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and physical inactivity”.
But what does attention mean? “It means, if possible, avoiding prolonged exposure to the cold, and when it is not possible to stay at home you need to cover yourself well before going out, in order to try to limit this risk. In any case, it is advisable for those with a serious coronary disease to stay indoors if the cold outside is intense. Frost is the enemy of the heart in general, but it is even more so for heart patients.”
All this then “is associated with another seasonal event: with the cold, respiratory infections, coughs and flu increase, which are more common in winter. These infections 'potentiate' cardiovascular problems. And they represent a risk factor additional”, concludes Indolfi.
#Cold #enemy #heart #heart #attack #risk #increases
