Shoveling Snow Increases the Risk of Heart Attack in Men

STATES CHRONICLE – The risk of heart attack in men might increase when shoveling snow. A Canadian study has revealed that massive snowstorms may harm males who put a lot of effort to shovel the snow. Researchers had compared the periods lacking snowfalls to those when a huge amount of snow covered the state. The results showed that men are 16% more likely to experience a heart attack, being 34% more likely to die because of a heart attack when shoveling a snow layer of 8 inches.

Nevertheless, women did not appear to indicate a raised risk of heart attack after a massive snow storm. While other studies in the past have connected snow shoveling to a high risk of heart failure in the following days, the study which was recently released offers scientists a new approach and a fresh insight regarding this link.

Specialists have analyzed data gathered during several decades about patients who were hospitalized in Quebec. Dr. Nathalie Auger, a researcher at the University of Montreal, stated that she together with her team revealed that both duration and the quantity of the snow were linked to a high risk of heart attack.

Auger noted that the findings indicate that residents should pay more attention when doing this kind of tiring activities like shoveling. Specialists claim that it is better to avoid them whenever it is possible. Moreover, they should avoid engaging in such activities especially if they know they have a history of heart problems.

Nevertheless, researchers were not able to determine why only men are threatened by this high risk of heart attack when shoveling. Probably, it may be that women usually shovel less than men. Maybe males put a lot more effort in shoveling compared to women, and they may also tend to overdo it.

To establish the exact connections between massive snowfall and heart problems, specialists have analyzed the information coming from 68,155 deaths and 128,073 hospital admissions in Quebec between 1981 and 2014. Experts focused only on examining those cases regarding heart attacks which occurred between November and April. This is the period when there falls abundant snow.

The results indicated that 62% of the hospital admissions were men and they had also represented 57% of deaths. One-third of all heart attacks occurred a day after shoveling snow.

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