Isn't fainting under the scorching sun heatstroke? Will cardiovascular disease break out in summer? In hot weather, you should pay more attention to the risk of "myocardial infarction"
The sudden fainting caused by exercising under the scorching sun is not due to heat stroke?!
It was a hot summer as usual, with clear skies and clear blue skies. After being exposed to the scorching sun for a little longer, my skin began to feel stinging. Around noon, the sound of an ambulance was heard in the distance. A 70-year-old man suddenly passed out while exercising in the park and was sent to the emergency room. The electrocardiogram showed acute myocardial infarction. If not treated, there is more than 30% chance of death. Mortality rate, very dangerous.
Fortunately, the cardiovascular center team quickly initiated emergency cardiac catheterization surgery, and the old man’s blocked heart vessels were successfully opened and an intravascular stent was placed. After two weeks of intensive treatment, he was successfully discharged from the hospital.
“Doctor! People say that myocardial infarction only occurs when the weather is cold and a cold wave comes. How come it happened to my wife in the summer? I thought it was because of heat stroke and fainting…” The old man’s wife asked in confusion. road.
The hotter the weather, the higher the risk of heart attack. Patients with chronic diseases need to pay attention to the symptoms of myocardial infarction.
Myocardial infarction, or acute coronary heart disease, is usually caused by the gradual degeneration of the coronary arteries that supply nutrients to the heart due to age, high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, etc., resulting in plaque accumulation in the endothelium of the blood vessels, causing obstruction. , which in turn causes symptoms of myocardial hypoxia and chest tightness and chest pain. If the accumulation of plaque over time causes acute blockage of coronary blood flow, it may even cause shock or sudden death. Generally speaking, the sudden drop in temperature in winter can easily cause vasoconstriction or even spasm. At this time, the originally narrowed blood vessels will become more severe and cause acute symptoms. This is why the public generally believes that myocardial infarction mostly occurs during the weather. When it’s cold.
Indeed, according to epidemiological studies in Taiwan and abroad, winter is the season when myocardial infarction is most common. However, on the other hand, when the temperature is particularly high in summer, the number of emergency department visits due to acute coronary heart disease also increases with the temperature. It increases as the temperature rises: In summer, when the temperature exceeds 30°C, the risk of acute coronary heart disease will gradually increase. When the temperature exceeds 31.5°C, the risk will increase by nearly 30%; for every 1°C rise, the overall risk of death will increase by 30%. %. If the patient is also elderly or has diabetes, excessive temperature will increase the risk of death from coronary heart disease.
Why does high temperature increase the risk of cardiovascular disease? Theoretically speaking, rising temperature will lead to increased blood viscosity, increased cholesterol, and damage to the vascular endothelium, thereby increasing the chance of thrombosis. The reduction of body fluids caused by high temperature will aggravate the above-mentioned phenomenon. Excessive dehydration may even cause hypovolemic shock in some patients, or fatal arrhythmia due to electrolyte imbalance.
Myocardial infarction is not just an attack that depends on the weather. People who smoke and drink frequently become a high-risk group.
It is worth mentioning that not only high temperatures, many studies have also found that when the temperature difference between hot and cold is too high (greater than 8.5℃), or in an indoor environment that is continuously heated due to lack of air conditioning, it will also increase. Risk of acute coronary heart disease. Currently, the weather in Taiwan often tends to be extreme. Weather reports occasionally include record-breaking high temperatures or drastic temperature changes between day and night. Friends with cardiovascular disease should not be careful!
Typical symptoms of myocardial infarction are mainly chest tightness and chest pain. The pain can be connected to the shoulders, back, or neck, accompanied by cold sweats, breathlessness, etc. In severe cases, it can cause hypotension shock and even heart failure. Fainting or sudden death due to irregularity or cardiac arrest. People with smoking habits, obesity, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, renal insufficiency or dialysis patients, and advanced age are all high-risk groups.
It is recommended that high-risk patients pay more attention to the weather forecast when the weather is hot and avoid going out for strenuous outdoor activities during high temperature warnings. When it is necessary to go out, they must cover the sun to avoid direct sunlight, and pay attention to adequate moisture and Supplement electrolytes to avoid dehydration (if you have heart failure or kidney disease, you should be more cautious in regulating water, please ask a professional doctor for advice). Try to keep the indoor environment cool and ventilated. If the indoor temperature is too high, it is best to have a moderate air conditioner. The temperature of the air conditioner is best set at around 26-27°C. This not only saves energy, but also avoids excessive temperature differences between indoors and outdoors. , on the contrary, it will cause discomfort and even increase the chance of acute coronary heart disease.
If you really have symptoms suspected of acute coronary heart disease, it is still recommended to go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible to avoid missing the golden time for treatment. All in all, avoiding the stress caused by large changes in ambient temperature is also one of the key elements to avoid cardiovascular accidents. I wish all patients to pay more attention to relevant protective measures in the hot weather and enjoy the summer time healthily together!
