High heart attack risk Today's cold puts strain on the heart

The winter months are often an additional burden on the heart

The winter has reached Germany, with lows down to minus eight degrees. Especially for cardiac patients, this can be a danger, because the winter months often mean a significant additional burden for the heart. The low temperatures can severely narrow the blood vessels in different parts of the body, which can result in rising blood pressure because the heart has to work against a greater resistance. This means permanent stress for the heart muscle as well as for the vessel walls.

People with heart disease or heart failure should now very carefully control their blood pressure and heart rate. This reports Prof. Dr. med. med. Bernhard Schwaab, member of the scientific advisory board of the German Heart Foundation and chief physician of the Curschmann Clinic, Timmendorfer Strand, in a statement of the German Heart Foundation. For increased values, the expert recommends some measures with which you can counteract.

People with heart disease are particularly at risk in winter and should pay more attention to their blood pressure in the cold season. (Image: aletia2011 / fotolia.com)

The apartment should not be too cold and not too warm

According to the German Heart Foundation, individual studies suggest that there may be a relationship between the temperature of the home and blood pressure. In addition to warmer clothes should therefore be paid to a sufficiently heated apartment. However, there is no universal temperature recommendation. The experts therefore suggest to check whether the blood pressure actually improves due to the heat. A too warm apartment was also unfavorable.

Exercise can positively affect blood pressure

In addition to drugs, movement is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure, reports the German Heart Foundation. Regular physical activity not only reduces blood pressure, but is also one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from sudden cardiac death. However, one should pay attention to sufficiently warm clothing, if one moves in the cold. A scarf over your mouth can prevent cold air from entering your lungs. The warm-up can be started at home, for example, by gymnastics or running on the spot.

If you experience symptoms such as shortness of breath or tightness of the chest in the cold, the training must be stopped immediately and those affected should return to a warm environment. According to the German Heart Foundation, such symptoms are to be understood as a warning sign and must be clarified by a doctor.

Salt in the diet can affect blood pressure

Part of the population has a salt-sensitive blood pressure. In these individuals, blood pressure drops as they ingest less salt from the diet. One can test whether one belongs to this group of persons by consciously reducing the amount of sodium chloride and by controlling the blood pressure in the following period at regular intervals. As a maximum, the World Health Organization recommends five grams per day.

Stop medication

If all methods do not help to lower blood pressure, the German Heart Foundation recommends consulting the doctor to adjust the dose of blood pressure medication until it warms up again.

Heart patients should protect themselves from the flu

An influenza can be an enormous additional burden on the cardiovascular system. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) therefore advises cardiac patients as a preventive measure against influenza to a flu vaccine. However, this should always be clarified with the family doctor. In addition, all persons should wash their hands regularly, as pathogens can be found on doorknobs, keyboards, handholds, railings and the like. Also, one should not touch the face with unwashed hands if possible, as the pathogens can enter the body through the mucous membranes in the mouth and nose. In addition, distance should be kept to already ill persons.

Which cardiovascular diseases are influenced by cold?

The German Heart Foundation refers to numerous statistics, which show which cardiovascular diseases occur particularly frequently in winter, or worsen in winter. These include coronary heart disease (CHD), myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, high blood pressure, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and deep vein thrombosis. In addition, associations between the cold and the more common occurrence of strokes, pulmonary embolism and certain cardiac arrhythmias are suspected. (Vb)