New UK research has found that severe heart attacks are more likely to be fatal when they occur in colder months, compared to warmer months.
Carried out by cardiologists at Leeds General Infirmary, the team compared information from 4,056 patients who had received treatment for a heart attack over four years.
The results showed that overall, around the same number of heart attacks occurred in the colder months as the warmer months, with 52% of heart attacks happening between November and April.
However, the most severe heart attacks, which lead to cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock, were more deadly in the coldest six months, compared to the warmest.
The researchers found that the risk of dying within 30 days of a severe heart attack was nearly 50% higher during the six coldest months, 28%, compared to a 20% risk of dying in the warmer months.
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body, while cardiogenic shock is when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
Both conditions are often caused by a severe heart attack, but not everyone who has a heart attack has a cardiac arrest or cardiogenic shock.
