A new study by physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute has shown that non-optimal temperatures have a significant impact on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden across the globe.
A new study by physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute has shown that non-optimal temperatures have a significant impact on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden across the globe. The study, recently published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, provides evidence that urgent action is needed to address this issue and is the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive quantification of global temperature-related CVD burden.
The study utilized the global burden of disease methodology to investigate non-optimal temperature, low temperature-, and high temperature-related CVD deaths, as well as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally. According to the World Health Organization, DALYs are the years lived with a disability due to prevalent cases of the disease or health condition in a population.
Researchers found that in 2019, non-optimal temperature contributed globally to nearly 1.2 million CVD deaths and almost 22 million DALYs. Low temperature contributed to more than 1.1 million CVD deaths and close to 20 million DALYs. High temperature contributed to about 93,000 CVD deaths and 2.09 million DALYs. That same year, non-optimal temperature was the ninth most common attributable risk factor for CVD deaths globally, surpassing alcohol use, low physical activity, and other environmental factors such as radon and lead exposure.
Read more at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
