Heart attack risk 'doubles' during cold winter weather, doctor warns
dailyrecord.co.ukStaying warm in the winter is important to your health, with the cold increasing your risk of various conditions. The cold poses particular danger to elderly people as well as those living with chronic medical conditions.
Excess deaths caused by the cold set in when temperatures dip below 12C, warned Dr Deborah Lee, of Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, with more people across the UK dying from cold related conditions compared to countries such as Finland, Norway and Denmark.She said: “A cold spell doesn’t just affect you on the day – the effect can be felt up to a couple of weeks afterwards.
During cold weather, the risk of a stroke or a heart attack doubles.”The doctor explained that this is due to your body's attempt to keep its core temperature up.
To do this, the body diverts blood away from the peripheries – fingers and toes – so these blood vessels become constricted, as writes the Express.The heart is then required to pump harder in order to push blood through narrowed blood vessels.
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