Climate change represents a fundamental threat to human health. It affects the physical environment as well as all aspects of natural and human systems, including social and economic conditions and the functioning of health systems, says the World Health Organization (WHO). Indeed, the repercussions of climate change on health are numerous and multiple. In a recent study published In review Neurologyscientists discovered that non-optimal temperatures, that is to say above or below seasonal norms, were linked to an increase in deaths from AVC.
Climate change: non-optimal temperatures increase the risk of death from stroke
To carry out their study, the scientists analyzed the number and rate of stroke deaths attributable to sub-optimal temperature in more than 200 countries and territories between 1990 and 2019. They also examined an indicator called “STROKE”, either “Disability-Adjusted Life Year” or “Disability-Adjusted Life Year” in English. This expresses the impact of an illness in years of life lost. By studying the results, the researchers discovered that 521,031 stroke deaths worldwide were linked to climate change, particularly sub-optimal temperatures.
Digging deeper into their research, the scientists found that 474,002 of the total deaths were linked to temperatures below seasonal norms. Likewise, 9.4 million healthy years have been lost due to climate change and its impact on stroke, according to the ACVI indicator used by experts. As they explain in the study, “the cold environment promotes vasoconstriction (a decrease in diameter) of the body’s blood vessels, thus leading to an increase in arterial pressure and blood viscosity, which can also increase the risk of stroke. While lower temperatures appear to be a risk factor for stroke death, high temperatures also have an impact. In fact, these can be the cause of dehydration affecting the cholesterol level and slowing down the circulation sanguineboth of which are risk factors for stroke, as the scientists explain in the press release presenting the results of the study.
Death from stroke: men would be more impacted by climate change
Researchers also found that the rate of stroke deaths due to climate change was higher among men than women. As for the regions of the world most affected by this increased risk of death from stroke linked to temperature changes, it is Central Asia which presents the highest mortality rate from stroke.
According to the study’s lead author Quan Cheng, “The 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.” However, more research is needed to determine the impact of temperature change on stroke and target solutions to address health inequalities, he concludes.
Sources :
- Burden of Stroke Attributable to Nonoptimal Temperature in 204 Countries and Territories – Neurology – 10 avril 2024
- More than half a million global stroke deaths may be tied to climate change – American Academy of Neurology
- Climate change – World Health Organization (WHO)
- Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) – Inserm
