Weather temperature and the incidence of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases in an aging society

Effects of large temperature change lasting for several days on cardiovascular disease hospital admissions among farmers in China's Western villages

Global climate change has resulted in an increase in the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme events. However, we know very little about the associations between large temperature changes lasting for several days (LTCD) and CVD, particularly in less-developed, rural areas. We collected daily data on cardiovascular-related diseases and weather conditions from 119 villages in seven counties between 2010 and 2016. A distributed lag non-linear model was used to investigate the association between LTCD and relative risk (RR) of hospital admissions for CVD. Analyses were stratified by the duration and intensity of LTCD, age, and sex. The RR of CVD increases with the intensity and duration of LTCD. Men and young people were more vulnerable to LTCD of longer duration and higher intensity than women and old. Our findings may help local public health authorities develop adaptive preventive strategies targeting inhabitants of villages.

Effects of temperature and humidity on cerebrovascular disease hospitalization in a super-aging society

Weather conditions influence the incidence of cardiovascular disease. However, few studies have investigated the association between weather temperature and humidity and cerebrovascular disease hospitalizations in a super-aging society. We included 606,807 consecutive patients with cerebrovascular disease admitted to Japanese acute-care hospitals between 2015 and 2019. The primary outcome was the number of cerebrovascular disease hospitalizations per day. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models were used to estimate the association of mean temperature and humidity, 1 day before hospital admission, with cerebrovascular disease hospitalizations, after adjusting for air pollution, hospital, and patient demographics. Lower mean temperatures and humidity < 70% or humidity ≧ 70% are associated with an increased incidence of cerebrovascular disease hospitalization (coefficient, - 1.442 [- 1.473 to - 1.411] per °C, p < 0.001, coefficient, - 0.084 [- 0.112 to - 0.056] per%, p < 0.001, and coefficient, 0.136 [0.103 to 0.168] per %, p < 0.001, respectively). Lower mean temperatures and extremely lower or higher humidity are associated with an increased incidence of cerebrovascular disease hospitalization in a super-aging society.

Impact of seasonal variation on hospital admission and in-hospital mortality of acute cardiovascular diseases: a contemporary nationwide database study

PURPOSE

Whether acute cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), such as acute heart failure (AHF), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and acute aortic dissection (AAD), have distinct seasonal variations in the number of hospitalizations and in-hospital mortality was investigated using a nationwide database in Japan.

METHODS

The hospitalized patients with AHF, AMI, and AAD between April 2012 and March 2020 were identified. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was conducted and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was calculated. Also, the Poisson regression model was conducted to calculate the peak-to-trough ratio (PTTR) with peak month.

RESULTS

Patients identified were as follows: 752,434 AHF patients (median age, 82 years; male, 52.2%), 346,110 AMI patients (median age, 71 years; male, 72.2%), and 118,538 AAD patients (median age, 72 years; male, 58.0%). The monthly proportion of hospitalized patients was the highest in winter and the lowest in summer in all three diseases. Based on aOR, 14-day mortality was the lowest in spring for AHF, summer for AMI, and spring for AAD. Furthermore, the PTTRs with peak month were 1.24 for AHF in February, 1.34 for AMI in January, and 1.33 for AAD in February.

CONCLUSIONS

A clear seasonal pattern was observed in the number of hospitalizations and in-hospital mortality of all acute CVDs, independent of confounders.

Current status of real-world big data research in the cardiovascular field in Japan

Real-world data (RWD) are observational data obtained by collecting, structuring, and accumulating patient information among the medical big data. RWD are derived from a variety of patient medical care and health information outside of conventional research data, and include electronic health records, claims data, registry data of disease, drug and device, health check-up data, and more recently, patient information data from wearable devices. They are currently being utilized in various forms for optimal medical care and real-world evidence (RWE) is constructed through a process of hypothesis generation and verification based on the RWD research. Together with classic clinical research and pragmatic trials, RWE shapes the learning healthcare system and contributes to the improvement of medical care. In the cardiovascular medical care of the current super-aged society, the need for a variety of RWE and the research is increasing, since the guidelines established over time and the medical care based on it cannot necessarily be the best in accordance with the current medical situation. In this review, we focus on the RWD and RWE studies in the cardiovascular medical field and outlines their current status in Japan. Furthermore, we discuss the potential for extending the studies and issues related to the use of medical big data and RWD.

Cardiovascular Nursing and Climate Change: A Call to Action From the CSANZ Cardiovascular Nursing Council

This Call to Action aims to provide key considerations for cardiovascular nursing, related to climate and environmental impacts. Strategies to optimise nursing preparation, immediate response and adaptation to climate emergencies are crucial to ensure those at greatest risk, including First Nations peoples, are protected from potentially avoidable harm. Professionals who manage climate consequences must also understand the impact of their care on the root cause of the problem.

Evaluation of the Effects of Thermal Comfort Conditions on Cardiovascular Diseases in Amasya City, Turkey

Aim

Studies fall short when it comes to determining the relationship between thermal comfort and cardiovascular diseases. Studies examining the relationship between thermal comfort conditions and human health in Turkey, located in the transition zone of air masses at mid-latitudes, are quite limited. This is the first study conducted in Turkey that deals with thermal comfort conditions and CVDs, which is the leading cause of death. This study aimed to examine the relationship between thermal comfort conditions and CVDs of Amasya, a medium-sized exemplary Turkish city.

Subject and methods

To determine the thermal comfort conditions in the study area between 2014-2019, the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) index obtained from the Rayman model, which uses hourly air temperature (ºC), relative humidity (%), wind speed (m/s), and cloud cover (octa) data, was used. The relationship between PET values and CVDs was determined by Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis.

Results

The study indicated a negative, high, and moderate correlation between PET values and cardiovascular diseases (p < 0.001). The results show that when PET values increase by 1 ºC, patient admissions will decrease by about 104 to 108 patients (-104.737 to -108.619 units.).

Conclusion

These results can be informative and guiding for both the protection of public health and studies on climate change and human health.