Temperature Drops Put the Squeeze on Heart Attack Risk

A slight daily mean temperature decline can increase the number of heart attacks for up to a month, new research shows

Temperature extremes have been known to have an ill effect on populations' health and mortality rates. Heat stroke can cause organ failure, and cold weather has been linked to increased hospitalization and death rates. Little firm data exists, however, to draw exacting predictions about how a change in the weather can influence the risk of cardiovascular problems. A new study reveals that even seemingly tiny daily temperature drops have a sizable impact on the number of heart attacks in a large geographic area.