Climate Change-Induced Extreme Weather Events Linked To Poor Cardiovascular Health

According to a recent JAMA Cardiology study, climate change impacts like extreme temperatures, hurricanes, and dust storms are linked to a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and even increases in deaths caused by heart conditions.

“This study highlights the need for health systems to anticipate and address climate change–related threats to their infrastructure. This will require regular vulnerability assessments and implementation of resilience plans for operations and facilities, such as installing backup flood-resistant power generators,” the authors explained. “Careful attention should be paid to supply chains, as disruptions may have widespread consequences. For example, when Hurricane Maria’s landfall in Puerto Rico led to protracted national intravenous fluid shortages.”

Lead author Chia-Liang Lu Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues screened 20,798 peer-reviewed studies that were published from 1970 to 2023. Each study had investigated the associations between climate changed-related impacts and acute cardiovascular events, mortality, and patients who were seeking cardiovascular disease healthcare during extreme weather events like wildfires, droughts, heat waves, extreme cold spells, hurricanes/cyclones or floods, duststorms, and high levels of ground-level ozone pollution (which occurs more commonly during heatwaves).

The team then shortlisted and reviewed 492 global studies that contained observational data from 30 high-income countries, 13 upper-middle-income countries, four lower-middle-income countries, and one low-income country.

Out of that 182 studies delved into the cardiovascular health impacts of extreme temperature, 210 studied the effects of ground-level ozone pollution, 45 focused on wildfires, and the other 63 looked into extreme weather events like hurricanes, dust storms, and droughts.

The researchers observed that most studies proved that extreme temperatures, ground-level ozone, hurricanes, and dust storms were associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. “Heat-fueled production of ground-level ozone amplified the increased cardiovascular risk associated with high temperatures. This is of particular concern in Asia, which is home to a quarter of the world’s population and where many countries are already grappling with extreme temperatures, high concentrations of ozone and other pollution, and epidemics of premature CVD,” the authors highlighted.

Interestingly, some extreme weather events like severe storms were linked to increased cardiovascular risk even 12 months after the incident took place. However, the data was uncertain on whether or not wildfire smoke, mudslides, and droughts could be linked to poor heart health among vulnerable populations.

“Clinicians should consider evaluating each patient’s cardiovascular disease risk from climate change exposures based on individual, community, and health system attributes,” the authors wrote. “For instance, does the patient have higher-than-average exposure to environmental stressors (employment that requires outdoor work), higher susceptibility (presence of cardiorespiratory co-morbidities), or limited resources to avoid the exposure (housing without air-conditioning)?”

“Clinicians should be aware that heat-associated cardiovascular risk varies by community, paradoxically increasing at lower temperatures in cooler areas (such as the northwestern US, where homes do not typically have air-conditioning) compared with areas accustomed to high temperatures (such as the southwestern US, where air-conditioning is widely available). Conversely, cold-associated cardiovascular risk is greater in the southern US than in the northern US. Thus, local data are necessary to guide policy and clinical practice,” they added.