Sub-zero temperatures spark silent killer warning - and millions are at risk

04 January 2024 , 18:52

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Extreme cold weather might severely affect those living with illnesses such as ischaemic heart disease and heart failure - with an increased risk of death for some (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As wintry cold weather is set to continue, an urgent warning has been issued stating that millions are at risk of a silent killer. Doctors have identified that both extreme cold and warm weather can increase your risk of death, if you already have underlying heart issues. The US-based researchers found that heart failure was linked to the highest excess deaths from extreme hot and cold temperatures.

Cardiovascular diseases are typically referred to as silent killers, because so many people do not know they are affected. The paper was published in the journal Circulation, with experts in the US stating that severe cold weather could affect those living with illnesses like ischaemic heart disease and heart failure. For some, there is even a heightened risk of death.

The study was co-written by Haitham Khraishah, who is a cardiovascular disease fellow at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center. He observed that the alteration in climate could affect people's health.

With the wintry cold weather an urgent warning has been issued as millions are at risk of a silent killer (Getty Images)

Nevertheless, he said the exact reason for the rise in risk of death, alongside an escalating temperature was not known, The Sun reports. He suggested: "This may be explained by the progressive nature of heart failure as a disease, rendering patients susceptible to temperature effects.

"This is an important finding since one out of four people with heart failure are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, and only 20 per cent of patients with heart failure survive 10 years after diagnosis." Cardiovascular deaths were examined on both the hottest and coldest days during the research, across a total of 567 cities in 27 countries spanning five continents.

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Researchers found that for every 1,000 cardiovascular deaths, extremely cold days made up 9.1 additional deaths. Meanwhile, extremely hot days made up 2.2 additional deaths. Heart failure experiences the highest number of deaths and comprised 128 extra deaths on super cold days. In comparison, there were just 2.6 additional deaths on supremely hot days.

Khraishah added: "One in every 100 cardiovascular deaths may be attributed to extreme temperature days, and temperature effects were more pronounced when looking at heart failure deaths." Every year in the UK, heart and circulatory diseases are responsible for 160,000 deaths according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

This translates as approximately 460 deaths each day, or one every three minutes. Around 7.6 million people are living with a heart or circulatory disease, and four million men and 3.6 million women, the experts said.

Charlie Duffield