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Wind and cold cause heart patient deaths
Identifier
006554
Type of Spiritual Experience
None
Background
Cold puts a strain on the heart as it tries to pump blood to the extremities to keep them warm, but the high winds and turbulence are interesting.
A description of the experience
Int J Biometeorol. 2001 Sep;45(3):133-42. The meteorological sensitivity of ischaemic heart disease mortality events in Birmingham, UK.McGregor GR.School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, The University of Birmingham, UK. G.R.McGregor@bham.ac.uk
Winter ischaemic heart disease (IHD) mortality events (ME) were identified in order to establish their degree of meteorological sensitivity.
Sensitivity was evaluated using regression of surface meteorological and large-scale atmospheric circulation variables on daily mortality for each mortality event.
Critical meteorological variables affecting IHD mortality appear to be local surface dry-bulb and dew-point temperature and large-scale southerly and westerly wind components, atmospheric pressure and vorticity. The rate of change and departure from normal conditions of these variables appear to be especially important for engendering IHD mortality events.
Associated with IHD mortality are two broad types of weather conditions:
(1) blustery westerly flows and rapidly changing weather from the west and
(2) climatologically strong northeasterly to southeasterly flows of cold air, which bring rapidly changing and anomalous thermal conditions to the study area.
The general atmospheric circulation patterns that produce these conditions are identified and the implications of results for weather and health studies are discussed.
PMID: 11594633