Affiliations 

  • 1 Division of Cardiology, Yonsei Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea
  • 2 Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan
  • 3 Department of Medical Sciences, School of Healthcare and Medical Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
  • 4 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • 5 Department of Medicine, School of Medicine National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
  • 6 Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • 7 University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc., Quezon City, Philippines
  • 8 Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
  • 9 Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Medical Center Manila, Manila, Philippines
  • 10 Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia-National Cardiovascular Center, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • 11 MIOT International Hospital, Chennai, India
  • 12 Department of General Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore City, Singapore
  • 13 Division of Nephrology Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore City, Singapore
  • 14 Divisions of Hypertension and Heart Failure, Fu Wai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
  • 15 Faculty of Cardiology Service, Hanyang University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
  • 16 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue City, Vietnam
  • 17 Cardiology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • 18 Department of Physiology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
  • 19 Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei City, Taiwan
  • 20 Department of Hypertension, Centre for Epidemiological Studies and Clinical Trials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hypertension, The Shanghai Institute of Hypertension, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich), 2020 03;22(3):438-444.
PMID: 31851429 DOI: 10.1111/jch.13762

Abstract

Epidemiologic studies have consistently demonstrated an increased risk of cardiovascular disease during colder temperatures. Hemodynamic changes associated with cold temperature and an increase in thrombogenicity may both account for the increase in cardiovascular risk and mortality. Studies using both in-office and out-of-office BP measurements have consistently shown an elevation in BP during the colder seasons. The large difference in BP between cold and warm months may increase the incidence of hypertension and reduce the hypertension control rate, potentially resulting in increased cardiovascular risk, especially among those at risk of cardiovascular disease. The current trends in global warming and climate change may have a profound impact on the epidemiology of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, as changes in the climate may significantly affect both BP variability and cardiovascular disease, especially in those with high cardiovascular risk and the elderly. Furthermore, climate change could have a significant influence on hypertension in Asia, considering the unique characteristics of hypertensive patients in Asia. As an increase in ambient temperature decreases the mean daytime average and morning surge in BP, but increases the nocturnal BP, it is difficult to predict how environmental changes will affect the epidemiology and prognosis of hypertension in the Asian-Pacific region. However, these seasonal variations in BP could be minimized by adjusting the housing conditions and using anticipation medicine. In this review, we discuss the impact of seasonal variation in the ambient temperature on hypertension and cardiovascular disease and discuss how this may impact the epidemiology of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.