THE EFFECT OF METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA ON ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT

Chronobiological aspects of pulmonary thromboembolism

A growing body of evidence has recently accumulated suggesting that several unfavorable cardiovascular events, e.g., myocardial angina and infarction, sudden cardiac death, and stroke, present a specific temporal pattern in their occurrence. This has also been shown to be true for fatal pulmonary thromboembolism, with a high frequence peak in winter and in the morning hours. The authors report the circannual and circadian aspects of pulmonary thromboembolism, analysing both the temporal patterns of the underlying favouring or precipitating factors, and the possible therapeutic implications.

Meteorological influences on myocardial infarction in the metropolitan area of Milan

We attempted to relate admission rate for acute myocardial infarction with some meteorological variables in a region having a temperate climate. We used 2830 consecutive episodes collected over a 2-year (1979-1980) period. The temperatures, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, front passage, rain and snow and foehn wind have been associated in the past with acute myocardial infarction. No significant association with any of them was found in our study, nor any correlation over the time between admission rates in six different Coronary Care Units (at the time the only ones active in the area) which participated in the study.