Heart attack: Does the risk increase during the winter season?

Cold season does not create a good environment for the human heart. The blood vessels contract due to the cold. This subsequently increases the blood pressure and hence the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Also, chest pain due to heart attack can worsen during winters as the arteries constrict.

A review article on the seasonal patterns across twelve cardiovascular diseases found that temperature, vitamin D, serum cholesterol level, physical inactivity, coagulation factors, hormones, air pollution, infections, age, sex, diet and obesity play an important role in determining the seasonal variability of cardiovascular diseases.

The twelve cardiovascular diseases in discussion are: deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection and rupture, stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, hypertension, heart failure, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, ventricular arrythmia and atrial fibrillation.

The review paper found that though a clear association between seasons and heart diseases is unknown, several theories have found that development of a disease in winter is more than other times in the year.

"It seems that the risk of cardiovascular diseases appears to be greatest during the winter months, particularly in elderly people," it said.

"Whenever the temperature outside decreases below our body temperature, especially when it drops below 25 degrees, the surface of the body tries to keep us warm. Due to this the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) increases, which in turn increases the workload on the heart," explains Dr Jayesh Prajapati, Cath Lab Director & Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad.

"During the winters, chances of vasoconstriction increases, which can cause an attack. The increase in some coagulation factors like platelet aggregation and rise in fibrinogen levels early in the morning increase the chances of a blood clot in the coronary arteries of the heart can lead to an attack," he explains further.

"Due to the cold, the physical activity of many is restricted. Also winter is a time of festivities and weddings when people consume high calorie food. These add to the risks of getting an attack in the winter season," he adds.

While the heart is actually at risk during the winter season, there are certain groups of people who should be very careful about their cardiovascular health during the winters.

“People with a history of heart attack, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol are at high risk. Those with family history of heart diseases and people with high alcohol and tobacco consumption are also at greater risk,” warns Dr Prajapati.

The expert suggests that people having above mentioned risk factors should get health checkups and take their medication at regular intervals. They must also be regular with their medical follow ups especially if they have a history of heart attack or stroke.

Regular medical checkup is essential for those who have prior heart complications. During the pandemic experts saw a surge in heart health since people only focused on COVID and ignored other medical checkups.

Winter comes with its own set of diets. While many of us indulge in winter diets believing that seasonal diets are good for the health, we often ignore the side effects of it.

On whether winter diet has an impact on heart health, Dr Prajapati says, “Yes, it does”.

“In winters, people consume a high calorie diet, especially sweets loaded with ghee,” he says.

People must also control their alcohol consumption during the winter season since it causes vasodilation, which can be harmful, he adds.

For good heart health, he suggests people to increase their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables instead of consuming junk and fatty food like pizza and burgers. “They must include nuts like almonds and other dry fruits in their diet,” he adds.

Those with comorbidities should take their medication regularly. They must protect themselves from the cold weather. If people start to feel or show any symptoms of a heart attack, they must take immediate medical help.

“Incidences of such symptoms are more common in early mornings during winter,” the expert adds.

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