New Delhi: According to a new study, exposure to heat increases blood flow in the heart walls of adults, which puts pressure on their heart.
The researchers also found evidence of restricted blood flow due to heat in some adult participants with heart disease, even though they did not display symptoms externally.
The researchers, including those from the Montreal Heart Institute in Canada, said these adults may benefit from staying cool to combat the stress of heat on their hearts.
For the study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the team recruited 61 adults — 20 healthy young adults, 21 healthy older adults and 20 older adults with coronary artery disease (CAD) — to see whether exposure to extreme heat. What effect does their arrival have? Heart.CAD is a condition in which the blood vessels supplying the heart become narrowed due to plaque accumulation, restricting blood flow.
The researchers artificially raised the participants' core body temperatures by 1.5 degrees Celsius and measured their myocardial blood flow (MBF) – blood reaching the heart wall muscle – before the exposure and their core temperatures by 0.5 degrees Celsius. Even on every increase.
The authors found that when all participants' body temperatures increased by 1.5 degrees Celsius, blood flow to their heart muscles increased.
Using imaging techniques, the authors further observed that seven participants with CAD experienced heat-induced myocardial ischemia, in which blood flow to the heart is disrupted due to blockage in the vessels. However, the participants did not show any outward signs of the condition.In an editorial in Annals of Internal Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (US), researchers said that exposure to heat can cause significant stress on the heart by creating a supply-demand mismatch in the vessels.
It says as temperatures rise around the world, it is important to identify vulnerable people with heart and blood vessel conditions.
It added that repeated exposure may cause "symptomatic or silent" blood flow problems, which may partially explain the increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events seen due to heat exposure in population studies .
The researchers also found evidence of restricted blood flow due to heat in some adult participants with heart disease, even though they did not display symptoms externally.
The researchers, including those from the Montreal Heart Institute in Canada, said these adults may benefit from staying cool to combat the stress of heat on their hearts.
For the study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the team recruited 61 adults — 20 healthy young adults, 21 healthy older adults and 20 older adults with coronary artery disease (CAD) — to see whether exposure to extreme heat. What effect does their arrival have? Heart.CAD is a condition in which the blood vessels supplying the heart become narrowed due to plaque accumulation, restricting blood flow.
The researchers artificially raised the participants' core body temperatures by 1.5 degrees Celsius and measured their myocardial blood flow (MBF) – blood reaching the heart wall muscle – before the exposure and their core temperatures by 0.5 degrees Celsius. Even on every increase.
The authors found that when all participants' body temperatures increased by 1.5 degrees Celsius, blood flow to their heart muscles increased.
Using imaging techniques, the authors further observed that seven participants with CAD experienced heat-induced myocardial ischemia, in which blood flow to the heart is disrupted due to blockage in the vessels. However, the participants did not show any outward signs of the condition.In an editorial in Annals of Internal Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (US), researchers said that exposure to heat can cause significant stress on the heart by creating a supply-demand mismatch in the vessels.
It says as temperatures rise around the world, it is important to identify vulnerable people with heart and blood vessel conditions.
It added that repeated exposure may cause "symptomatic or silent" blood flow problems, which may partially explain the increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events seen due to heat exposure in population studies .
