Outdoor temperatures that reach or exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit nearly tripled the number of episodes of an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation, or AFib, in people who had electronic devices implanted in their chests to help monitor and regulate their heartbeats, the study found. The findings will be presented Nov. 18 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago.
They are considered preliminary until full results are published in a peer-reviewed journal. "AFib is becoming more prevalent both in the U.S.
and globally, with its incidence rising at an alarming rate," the study's lead researcher, Dr. Barrak Alahmad, said in a news release . Alahmad is a research fellow in environmental health at the Harvard T.
H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. Study co-investigator Dr.
Theofanie Mela, a cardiac electrophysiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in the release that understanding the physiological processes underlying the study's findings would help researchers "concentrate on preventing conditions that trigger AFib to minimize the burden of arrhythmias. In the meantime, we recommend patients avoid extreme temperatures and use air conditioners so that they do not expose their bodies to the severe stress of extremely high heat." More than 12 million people may be living with AFib by 2030, according to AHA statistics .
Heart disease and other medical conditions are known to increase the risk of developing AFib, but how.
