DENİZLİ (İHA) – Cardiologist Specialist Dr. Fatih Çam from Denizli Özel Egekent Hospital pointed out that the risk of heart attack increases during cold winter months, stating that cold weather invites heart diseases.
Providing information about the effects of cold weather on heart health, Cardiologist Specialist Dr. Fatih Çam said: “Humans are warm-blooded beings, therefore, even when the weather is cold, they must maintain their body temperature. To prevent heat loss in cold weather, the body constricts blood vessels to reduce heat loss. As a result, the heart’s workload increases significantly in cold weather, and blood vessels constrict. This causes people to tire more quickly and become short of breath sooner. For the same reason, as the amount of blood flowing decreases due to constricted vessels, the oxygen within that reduced blood also decreases; thus, extremities such as hands, feet, nose tip, and lips turn blue. In patients with heart failure, heart rhythm disorders, coronary artery narrowing, chest pain, and even heart attacks may occur. Moreover, the quicker the exposure to cold, the stronger the reaction. For example, these reactions develop very rapidly in those who fall into cold or icy water.”
**Heart Attack Risk Increases in Winter**
Dr. Fatih Çam explained the reasons why the risk of heart attack increases in winter as follows:
“Constriction of blood vessels, rise in blood pressure, increased return of blood to the heart, and reduced oxygen levels in the blood. In countries such as the United States and Canada, where everyone is responsible for clearing snow in front of their homes, heart attacks and sudden deaths during snow shoveling are very common. Even if it does not cause a heart attack, sudden exposure to cold or walking against cold wind can cause severe chest pain in patients with coronary artery disease. Winter is a significant source of reduced resistance. Therefore, heart patients should receive a flu vaccine every year and a pneumonia vaccine every five years. Illnesses such as flu or colds, which are minor discomforts for healthy individuals, are among the leading causes of death in heart patients. Therefore, vaccines should not be neglected.”