Heart attack causes and symptoms, study says it’s more deadly during winter

Heart attacks during winter months are more deadly compared to warmer months, suggests a new study. It added that the risk of dying within 30 days of a severe heart attack is nearly 50% higher in colder months.

Heart attacks are more common during winter than summer months, suggests a new study conducted by cardiologists at UK’s Leeds General Infirmary on a total of 4,056 people. The study subjects received treatment for a heart attack in four separate years.

Heart attack causes, symptoms and treatment: The study concluded that the risk of dying within 30 days of a severe heart attack was nearly 50% higher in the coldest months, compared to the warmest months. (Shutterstock)

The study found that the most severe heart attacks were more deadly in the coldest months, compared to the warmest. The overall number of heart attacks was roughly the same in the coldest half of the year, compared to the warmer months, with the most serious heart attacks leading to cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock. The risk of dying within 30 days of a severe heart attack was nearly 50% higher in the coldest months, compared to the warmest months, researchers said.

“There is no physical reason why a heart attack, even the most severe, should be more deadly in winter than in summer so we must do further research to find the cause of this difference and remedy it,” said Arvin Krishnamurthy, who led the research. “Potential explanations could include longer time to treatment, prolonged hospitalisation and delays to discharge, and increased prevalence of winter-associated infections, which in the sickest patients, could be potentially lethal,” Krishnamurthy said.

“It’s vital we carry out more research to find out why there are these differences, as well as continuing to do all we can to stop people having heart attacks in the first place,” said Avkiran.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more