Cardiovascular deaths exacerbated by high temperatures: study
A study recently published in the eBioMedicine journal shows that human-induced climate change could increase the mortality rate in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), especially among vulnerable groups, based on a survey in China.
CVD is the cause of death of around 19 million people worldwide each year, 5 million of whom are in China. It is also why over 390 million of the global population are suffering from long-term health impacts.
The study, titled “Projecting heat-related cardiovascular mortality burden attributable to human-induced climate change in China”, collected daily data on CVD mortality and temperature in 161 Chinese communities from 2007 to 2013.
Researchers found that the rising global surface temperature resulted in increasing heat-related cardiovascular mortality from 2010 onwards, when heat was responsible for 31% of CVD deaths. They projected that heat-related cardiovascular fatalities from the 2030s to the 2090s would be 1.6-1.9 times higher than in the 2010s, or about 70-90% more, even under scenarios with the lowest carbon emissions in China alone.
Researchers added that individuals in “vulnerable groups”, e.g. those who had suffered a stroke, females, the elderly, people living in rural areas, and those with lower education levels would exhibit heightened susceptibility to future high temperatures.
The study concluded that human activities would significantly amplify the future burden of heat-related CVD. They suggested that active adaptation and mitigation measures towards future warming, notably carbon emission reduction, could yield substantial health benefits for patients with CVD.
