How Climate Change Leads to Worse Cardiovascular Health

A new study has identified a link between climate change disturbances and cardiovascular disease (CVD), finding extreme temperatures and hurricanes were strongly associated with increased CVD mortality and incidence of disease.¹

This association between climate-related environmental stressors and CVD risk was also found to disproportionately affect older adults, individuals from racial and ethnic minority populations, and those from lower-income communities.

This systematic observational study is published in JAMA Cardiology.²

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“Climate change is already affecting our cardiovascular health; exposure to extreme heat can adversely affect heart rate and blood pressure; exposure to ozone or wildfire smog can trigger systemic inflammation; living through a natural disaster can cause psychological distress; and hurricanes and floods may disrupt health care delivery through power outages and supply chain disruptions; and in the long term, the changing climate is projected to produce declines in agricultural productivity and the nutritional quality of the food supply, which could also compromise cardiovascular health,” said corresponding author Dhruv S. Kazi, MD, MSc, MS, associate director of the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in a press release.¹ “We know that these pathways have the potential to undermine the cardiovascular health of the population, but the magnitude of the impact, and which populations will be particularly susceptible, need further study.”

CVD is responsible for approximately 1 in 3 deaths, with more than 20 million deaths reported in 2021, according to a 2024 World Heart Federation report.³ Despite improvements in CVD prevention, the impact of climate change caused by the continued combustion of fossil fuels may be undermining the substantial declines in cardiovascular deaths observed in recent decades.

In this study, the researchers aimed to evaluate the impact of climate change–related environmental stressors and CVD.

Nearly 21,000 peer-reviewed studies published between 1970 and 2023 were screened for the evaluated associations between acute cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality, and CVD health care utilization and climate change-related events.

After exclusion, the researchers conducted a systematic review of 492 global observational studies, which included 182 on extreme temperature, 210 on the effects of ground-level ozone, 45 on wildfire smoke, and 63 on extreme weather events such as hurricanes, dust storms, and droughts. Additionally, these studies included findings from 20 high-income countries, 17 middle-income countries, and 1 low-income country.

Exposure to extreme temperature was linked with increased incidence of CVD and CVD mortality, although the impact varied with temperature and the duration of exposure. Additionally, tropical storms, hurricanes/cyclones, floods, and mudslides were associated with increased cardiovascular risk, which often outlasted severe weather events by months, if not years.

Furthermore, the researchers identified concerning gaps in the knowledge of climate change–related events and how that affects cardiovascular risk in lower-income nations.

The researchers believe these findings suggests that CVD risk from climate change exposure should be evaluated by a clinician based on individual, community, and health-system characteristics. Moreover, they noted that clinicians should be aware of any environmental exposure–related cardiovascular risk within their own communities.

“Climate change is already adversely affecting cardiovascular health in the US and worldwide,” Kazi confirmed.¹ Urgent action is needed to mitigate climate change-related cardiovascular risk, particularly among our most vulnerable populations.”

References

1. Climate change-related disturbances linked to worse cardiovascular health, researchers show. News release. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. June 12, 2024. Accessed June 12, 2024. https://www.newswise.com/articles/climate-change-related-disturbances-linked-to-worse-cardiovascular-health-researchers-show

2. Kazi DS, Katznelson E, Liu C, et al. Climate change and cardiovascular health. A systematic review. JAMA Cardiology. June 12, 2024. Accessed June 12, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2024.1321

3. Di Cesare M, Perel P, Taylor S, et al. The heart of the world. Glob Heart. 2024;19(1):11. January 25, 2024. Accessed June 12, 2024. doi:10.5334/gh.1288