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- 2023 will be the hottest year on record on Earth, and by the middle of the 21st century, the United States will have between 27 and 50 days of each year with temperatures above 90 degrees.
- Prolonged exposure to heat can lead to heat-related illnesses with complications such as increased risk of heart disease.
- A new study reports that exposure to high temperatures can damage the body’s immune system, increase inflammation and harm cardiovascular health.
Scientists reported that 2023 was the warmest year in Earth’s history, with average global temperatures rising much faster than at the beginning of the 20th century.
If this warming trend continues, experts believe that by the middle of the 21st century, the United States will have between 27 and 50 days each year with temperatures above 90 degrees.
Almost 33% of working adults in the United States have jobs that involve regular exposure to the outdoors, including heat.
In 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported approximately 2,330 cases of illness or injury caused by heat exposure. And each year, approximately 40 working adults die from exposure to extreme heat.
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause the following symptoms:
“Additionally, heat exposure can also cause further complications. For example, heat can negatively impact existing ones.
A new study reports that exposure to high temperatures can damage the body’s immune system, increase inflammation and harm cardiovascular health.
The findings were recently presented by University of Louisville researchers at an American Heart Association event.
Heat exposure is an important but underappreciated risk factor that contributes to heart disease, explained Daniel W. Riggs, Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at the Christina Lee Brown Institute for the Environment at the University of Louisville.
Dr. Riggs said, “As global temperatures warm, the frequency of extreme temperature events is increasing and will continue to have a negative impact on public health.” Today’s medical news.
“A deeper understanding of the effects of heat on health, including heart health, will help develop evidence-based approaches to mitigate and prevent future climate-related health and well-being impacts.” Is required.”
“Although the association between cardiovascular disease and exposure to high fever is well established, the mechanisms and exposure pathways that promote the development of cardiovascular disease are complex and require further research. Therefore, our Our interest was in better understanding how exposure to high temperatures contributes to the activation of immune inflammation.”
— Dr. Daniel W. Riggs, lead study author
For the study, Dr. Riggs and his team recruited 624 adults with an average age of 49.5 years. More than half of the participants were female and 77% identified as white.
Study participants visited the study site in the Louisville, Kentucky, area during the summer, with a median daily temperature of 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers took blood samples from study participants and analyzed them for:
The scientists then used the blood test data to look for connections between what was detected in the blood and the heat levels in the environment, including the World Heat Climatic Index (UTCI), on that day.
UTCI takes into account temperature, humidity, and UV radiation levels.
At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found that for every 5 degree increase in UTCI, levels of key markers of inflammation in participants’ blood samples also increased.
“Previous research has established a relationship between increased body temperature and increased inflammatory markers,” Dr. Riggs explained. “However, previous studies have mainly focused on ambient temperature and a limited number of inflammatory markers.”
“Our study aims to develop more physiologically relevant thermal markers, such as UTCI and a larger panel of inflammatory and immune markers, with the aim of providing a more complete and accurate picture of the heat-immunity relationship. was used to assess heat exposure and inflammation.”
— Dr. Daniel W. Riggs, lead study author
“While participants in our study were exposed to only moderate levels of heat, we found that these moderate levels were associated with changes in inflammation and a variety of markers reflecting innate and adaptive immune responses. We were surprised to discover that
The study also found that study participants experienced a decrease in B cells, which researchers say also indicates a decline in the body’s immune system.
“Temperature and humidity are known to be important environmental factors for airborne infections,” Dr. Riggs said.
“This may suggest that people are not only at higher risk of infection exposure during high temperatures, but may also be more vulnerable to disease and inflammation.”
“Dysregulation of the immune system and inflammatory pathways is known to be a key mechanism in many types of cardiovascular disease,” he continued.
“Our findings suggest that heat exposure may contribute to these pathways, ultimately leading to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”
After reviewing the study, Dr. Justin Lee, an interventional cardiac specialist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, said: MNT The authors felt that they proposed an interesting hypothesis that may warrant further study with better randomization and statistical analysis.
“It’s an interesting hypothesis. However, there are stronger risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and family history, that have proven evidence of a strong causal relationship,” Lee said. The doctor explained.
“The authors of this study do not appear to have performed thorough sample analysis and propensity matching to ensure true randomization of subjects. Therefore, the results may be influenced by bias or confounding factors. That doesn’t mean I won’t accept it.”
MNT We also spoke with Dr. Chen-Han Chen, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, about the study.
“It has long been known that heat stress has negative effects on human health, including cardiovascular health,” Dr. Chen said.
“We also know that inflammation within the body can also impact cardiovascular health. This study is useful because it directly links changes in inflammatory markers in patients’ bloodstreams in response to these short-term heat stress conditions. So it makes sense, but it’s good to have the data to show that.”
— Dr. Chen-Han Chen, Cardiologist
To protect yourself from exposure to high temperatures, Dr. Chen recommended the following:
- Try to stay indoors and in an air-conditioned environment as much as possible
- Avoid direct sunlight
- drink a lot of water
- wear loose clothing
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