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Certain situations increase your risk of heart attack during the summer. Here are the ones you absolutely need to know and the best ways to protect yourself.
Summer fun is just around the corner. Unfortunately the summer period is (also) synonymous with cardiac arrests, according to recent results from the American Heart Association (AHA).
Fatal heart attack: risk increases with temperature and heat
According to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity, up to 50,000 French people suffer sudden cardiac arrest each year and only 5% of them survive.
However, two successive hot days between 28.1 and 36.6°C increase the risk by 18%. Four days between 34.8°C and 43°C increase the risk by 74%!
“Proof of this is the number of visits to the emergency room doubles and that of SOS doctor consultations triples during summer heatwave episodes.“, reveals a press release produced by Hekatech (GEOCOEUR).
Another interesting fact: more than half of these incidents take place in the summer, at home or outdoors. Caution is therefore required.
The 5 risk factors to know
Certain risk factors increase during the summer. These are the following:
- Extreme heat. “They cause a resurgence of dehydrations significant, particularly in so-called fragile people, which increases the risk of cardiovascular incidents”;
- Flooding. “Faced with torrential floods, pedestrians and vehicles are very vulnerable. 30 cm of water is enough to carry them away in the event of a flood…“. The stress associated with these accidents can be a risk factor for cardiovascular accidents;
- Practicing intense physical activities outdoors. Hiking, kayaking or climbing “without always being well prepared” promote cardiac incidents“with its risks of falling”;
- Alcohol consumption. “It increases with aperitifs, festivals and summer evenings, which can disrupt the heart rhythm and increase the risk of arrhythmias;
- Drowning in rivers, swimming pools or at sea is common. “According to figures published by Public Health, during the summer of 2023, there were 1,300 deaths, 30% of which resulted in death. Drowning creates a hypoxiawhich requires ventricular fibrillation, via the electric shock of a defibrillator…“.
Beware of more fragile people!
Heat waves primarily affect elderly people living alone and/or people living in poorly insulated and/or poorly ventilated homes. These heat waves are more severe in cities where temperatures are higher and air pollution is greater.
High temperatures are also more conducive to the concentration of ozone and exceeding the recommended threshold. And according to a study on air pollution and cardiovascular diseases published in May 2010 by the American Heart Association in the journal Circulation, pollution causes more deaths linked to cardiovascular diseases than to pulmonary diseases.
This is all the more alarming as the combination of these two factors, intense heat and pollution in urban areas is explosive and considerably increases the risks linked to heat waves.
Protect yourself!
In order to protect yourself from the risks associated with heat waves, the Heart and Arteries Foundation recommends during these periods:
- To avoid excessive physical expenditure;
- Always make sure to keep cool: drink water without waiting until you are thirsty, eat cold meals, wear light clothing, take cool showers and baths without drying yourself off;
- To constantly ensure the freshness of your home by closing the shutters and curtains during the day.
Slide: Heart attack: little-known risk factors