The influence of certain weather trends on the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) has not been well established. In this prospective population-based study, investigators obtained daily weather data from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute for 274,029 MIs in order to determine whether an association exists between weather and the rate of MI. Investigators found that minimum air temperature was negatively associated with MI, as a 1-standard deviation (7.4 degrees Celsius) increase in minimum air temperature was associated with a 2.8% reduction in MI (unadjusted IRR, 0.972, 95% CI 0.967 to 0.977, p <0.001). This association was consistent after stratifying for non-ST elevation MI (NSTEMI) and ST-elevation MI (STEMI) as well as other weather parameters. Sunshine duration was negatively associated with overall MI but not for STEMIs. The only weather parameters associated with higher rates of MI were wind velocity (unadjusted IRR 1.077, 95% CI 1.055 to 1.098, p<0.001) and snow precipitation, although the latter did not reach statistical significance. Overall, results from this study suggest that cold weather is associated with higher rates of MI, which has implications for resource allocation and preparation during certain seasons. It is important to note, however, that the effect estimates were modest, and that the averaging of daily nationwide weather could have affected results.
Click to read the study in JAMA Cardiology
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