Healthday (8/10, Mozes) reports that a study of patients in the United Kingdom in those admitted to the hospital for a heart attack revealed that a decrease of just one degree celsius on a single day gives rise to a cumulative two percent rise in the number of heart attacks in the next twenty- eight days. This study shows that cold weather increases the risk for having a heart attack in particular for the elderly and those with a previous history of heart disease. It appears that those who are taking aspirin were less vulnerable to this increase in risk. The author suggested that prior research has shown that as temperatures goes down blood pressure may go up and the blood may become thicker causing the heart to work harder and may also increase the possibility of blood clotting.

Dr. Steven Reisman, Director of The New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center and a Manhattan Cardiologist states that the risk of heart attack that is associated with a drop in outdoor temperature is relatively small compared to the usual cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, family history, and diabetes.