Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for approximately one in every three deaths, with more than 20 million deaths reported in 2021 according to a 2024 World Heart Federation report . Improvements in heart disease prevention, treatment and intervention have led to substantial declines in cardiovascular deaths in recent decades, but climate change caused by the continued combustion of fossil fuels may undermine this progress. Over the last century, NASA confirms the average global temperature has risen by more than two degrees Fahrenheit, leading to long-term shifts in average weather patterns, disturbance of ecosystems, and rising sea levels.
Additionally, the 10 hottest years on record have all occurred in the past decade. In a new study, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) conducted a systematic review of 492 observational studies to determine whether there is a link between climate change-related environmental stressors and cardiovascular disease . The investigators found that extreme temperatures and hurricanes are strongly associated with increased CVD mortality and incidence of disease, and that older adults, individuals from racial and ethnic minoritized populations, and those from lower wealth communities are disproportionately affected.
The findings appear in JAMA Cardiology . "Climate change is already affecting our cardiovascular health ; exposure to extreme heat can adversely affect heart rate and.
