The cold can certainly claim fatalities. For example, due to car accidents on slippery roads or due to freezing. But the cold can also attack someone who does not set foot on a dangerous road or in the wild nature. This is due to an increased risk of heart attack.
“The reason is a possible spasm or narrowing of the vessels due to the cold,” explains German cardiologist Axel Schmermund (56) from Frankfurt am Main of the newspaper “Bild”.
However, this only affects people who are already at increased risk of heart attack. “Like diabetics, people with high blood pressure, or smokers,” says Schmermund. “Here, the cold can cause a heart attack.”
Do not start new sports in this cold
The cardiologist therefore advises all people with a previous illness to listen to their body in cold weather and, above all, not to make unusual efforts. “If you go for a walk regularly, you can of course also do so in the cold, but with this weather you don’t necessarily have to start a new, strenuous sport.”
Healthy people, on the other hand, would not have an increased risk of a heart attack in the cold. Schmermund: “You can just exercise.”
In Switzerland, cardiovascular disease is the number two cause of death in the country, just after cancer. (ct)