Heat and cold waves linked to sudden cardiac death
In an observational study of 5,386,726 deaths in Poland, sudden cardiac death risk increased 10 percent on heat wave days, while cold wave risks lasted longer.
Limit: Temperature exposure relied on municipality-level estimates rather than personal measurements
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers analyzed 5,386,726 deaths recorded across Poland from 2011 to 2023, where 51.9% were male. The records included 46,173 cases of sudden cardiac death, an unexpected fatal loss of heart function, of which 63.54% were male. In this observational study, researchers assigned temperature exposure to each person's municipality of residence, adjusting for air pollution, weather, and respiratory infections.
Heat wave exposure was associated with increased sudden cardiac death mortality. Risk increased by 10% on the day of exposure and peaked the next day with an incidence rate ratio of 1.13, before gradually weakening. Cold waves were also associated with increased mortality, showing a more prolonged pattern across multiple days. Heat-related risk was more pronounced among women and older people. The attributable burden was 7,405 years of life lost for heat waves and 7,596 for cold waves.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease is a primary cause of death in later life, and vulnerability to environmental stressors often shifts as the body ages. The findings highlight how extreme temperatures may act as short-term triggers for fatal cardiac events, supporting the inclusion of weather exposures in prevention strategies for older adults.
Caveats
Because the observational study relied on municipality-level estimates based on place of residence rather than personal temperature measurements, it cannot establish causation. Additionally, the data come from a single population in Poland and were presented as a conference abstract that has not yet undergone full peer review.
The paper
Medical University of Białystok; Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026, Open access
Presented at ESC Congress 2026
