Climate change increases risk of death from stroke, new study finds.
- Climate change has been linked to an increase in stroke deaths and disability.
- It is responsible for more than half a million stroke deaths worldwide.
- Men are the most affected by this phenomenon with 7.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 5.9 per 100,000 for women.
Climate change would not only disrupt the environment and temperatures, it would also impact our risk of stroke. A study published on April 10, 2024 in the journal Neurology reveals that it is responsible for more than half a million stroke deaths worldwide.
Stroke death: temperatures below normal increase risk
To determine if there was a link between strokes and suboptimal temperatures (i.e. above or below seasonal norms), researchers examined medical records kept between 1990 and 2019 in more than 200 countries. They recorded the number of stroke deaths and the burden of stroke-related disability due to non-optimal temperatures. The team determined that climate change was responsible for 521,031 stroke deaths in 2019 and 9.4 million disability-adjusted life years (an indicator assessing the number of healthy years lost due to climate change). ‘a sickness).
The scientists also discovered that the majority of these strokes were caused by temperatures below the expected optimum. They are responsible for 474,002 stroke deaths, according to their calculations. “At lower temperatures, a person’s blood vessels can constrict, increasing blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke.specify the authors in their communicated.
While falling mercury appears to be most detrimental to brain health, higher-than-normal temperatures are also associated with an increase in strokes. The cause is dehydration, which affects cholesterol levels and blood flow, two risk factors for stroke. The increased heat-related risk was particularly significant in regions with low socio-demographic index (SDI) such as Africa.
Stroke and climate change: a heavier burden for men
The study results also show that men are more affected by this increased risk of death from stroke linked to temperature changes. The rate was 7.7 per 100,000 people among male participants compared to 5.9 per 100,000 among women. Additionally, regionally, Central Asia was the most affected with 18 climate change-related stroke deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. North Macedonia was the country with the highest mortality rate (33 deaths per 100,000).
“Dramatic temperature changes in recent years have affected human health and caused widespread concern”recognizes the author of the study, Professor Quan Cheng from Xiangya Central South University Hospital (China). “Our study found that these temperature changes could increase the burden of stroke worldwide, particularly in older populations and in areas with more health care disparities”, adds the expert. He also specifies that “Additional research is needed to determine the impact of temperature change on stroke and target solutions to address health inequities”.