Cold Spells, Heat Waves, and Nonoptimal Air Temperature and Risk of Heart Failure Hospitalization in Sweden

“No study had previously analysed, in a Nordic population, the short-term associations between events characterised by extreme temperatures – such as periods of intense cold and heatwaves – or persistently sub-optimal ambient temperatures, and the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure. This is a significant knowledge gap, given that high-latitude areas, such as Sweden, are characterised by frequent exposure to cold but, at the same time, are developing an emerging vulnerability to high temperatures—to which they have not yet adapted—as the global climate continues to warm.”

“We can no longer practise cardiovascular medicine in a meteorological vacuum.”