As temperatures rise, so does the risk of heart-related fatalities, experts warn.
A recent report by NBC Boston highlights the deadly link between extreme heat and cardiovascular deaths, sounding alarms about a potential health crisis as climate change intensifies.
“Heat causes dehydration and puts additional stress on the body, significantly impacting cardiovascular health,” Dr. Gordon Tomaselli, former president of the American Heart Association, told NBC.
Cardiovascular deaths from extreme heat in the U.S. may more than double by the middle of the century. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, that number could even triple, according to research published in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.
This stark warning underscores the urgent need for public awareness and preventive measures as the region braces for increasingly sweltering summers.
While individuals with pre-existing conditions face the highest risk, everyone should remain vigilant and prepared. This is particularly crucial in schools, as emphasized by Joe Quigley, a Winthrop, Mass., resident whose daughter Olivia experienced cardiac arrest at school when she was just six years old.
Fortunately, school officials’ quick action in performing CPR saved Olivia’s life. Now a college junior, her story has inspired Joe Quigley to become an advocate for the American Heart Association. He now champions legislation to expand CPR training and fund the placement of automatic external defibrillators in schools.
Watch the full report below: