Extreme weather is being linked to more strokes and heart attacks, with heat waves and cold snaps both pushing up risk, new research suggests.
The findings analysed data from more than eight million residents of eastern Poland between 2011 and 2020.
Researchers recorded more than 573,000 major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events during the decade. The term covers serious problems affecting blood flow to the heart and brain.
The study found that while both types of temperature extreme are dangerous, they affect the body in different ways.
In heat waves, the effect is immediate. On the day of the weather event, major cardiovascular events rose by 7.5 per cent, while cardiovascular deaths increased by 9.5 per cent.
The impact of a cold wave is delayed but sustained, with the risk of major events rising between 4 per cent and 5.9 per cent in the days after exposure.
Air pollution intensified the risks linked to extreme temperatures, the data showed. About 13 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths were attributed to pollution, representing more than 71,000 years of life lost over the 10-year period.
“Climate change is driving extreme weather events, yet temperate climates remain understudied,” said professor Lukasz Kuzma of the Medical University of Bialystok.#
“Poland is now seeing unprecedented heat waves alongside existing cold waves.
“Our results highlight that the problems of climate change now extend to Northern Europe and demonstrate the considerable combined hazards of temperature extremes and air pollution on increasing cardiovascular events.”
Contrary to traditional medical assumptions, the study found that monthly increases in pollution exposure were particularly dangerous for groups often considered lower risk.
The risk of cardiovascular events was 5 per cent higher in women than in men, and 9 per cent higher in people under 65 compared with those older than 65.
“Even though air pollution is recognised as a major cardiovascular risk factor, it is still underappreciated,” said Dr Anna Kurasz of the Medical University of Bialystok.
“These results challenge the traditional risk factor paradigm about which groups of individuals are most susceptible.”
Looking ahead, Kuzma plans to investigate the impact of light and noise pollution, with the aim of updating how doctors predict patient risk.
“We also aim to develop a method to incorporate environmental factors into a cardiovascular risk prediction algorithm to enable more effective targeting of preventive efforts,” he added.
