Wildfires Increase Heart Attacks 70%, And COVID-19 Will Pounce On Weak Hearts
Written by 991KBU on April 16, 2020
A major study on wildfires … smoke … and heart attacks.
The big brushfires have drastic side effect: heart failure.
And worse … COVID-19 may combine with high levels of smoke from wildfires into an even-more deadly combination.
A first-of-its-kind study that looked at the health impacts of California wildfires.
It was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
It found that cardiac arrests occurred as much as 70% more often on days of heavy smoke. Most of these incidents were fatal.
The risk of cardiac arrest was greatest within three days of smoke exposure, according to the research.
The threat was elevated for people as young as 35 .
The new study is among an emerging body of science that links wildfire smoke not only to respiratory problems but also heart problems.
And … persons with compromised hearts and lungs … are wide open targets for the COVID-19 virus.
This article is based on reporting published in the San Francisco Chronicle: https://www.sfchronicle.com/environment/article/Smoke-from-recent-California-wildfires-increased-15201044.php#
