Extending heating is beneficial for stroke prevention and control

Stroke is a major chronic non-communicable disease that seriously endangers the health of our people and is the leading cause of death and disability in adults.

Data from the "China Stroke Prevention and Control Report 2020" shows that the stroke prevalence rate among people aged 40 and above in my country has increased from 1.89% in 2012 to 2.58% in 2019. The number of people aged 40 and above who are currently suffering from or have suffered from stroke is as high as 17.04 million, which has now become an important public health issue that seriously affects the national economy and people's livelihood.

In recent years, although China has strengthened the publicity and prevention of traditional risk factors for stroke, such as hypertension, its incidence rate remains high and the situation of disease prevention and control is severe. With global climate change, extreme weather has become more frequent, and meteorological factors have become a potential risk factor for stroke that cannot be ignored . The latest global stroke burden study data show that among the currently known risk factors, the impact of low temperature on stroke ranks 12th. Timely heating is a beneficial measure recognized at home and abroad to resist the impact of cold weather on stroke. Central heating in winter is not only conducive to stabilizing blood pressure, but also reduces the incidence of stroke.

Since 2016, the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government have extended heating for Tianjin residents for six consecutive years. The heating period has been extended from November 15 to March 15 of the following year to November 1 to March 31 of the following year.

Extending heating can help prevent and control stroke

The Health Meteorology Cross-Innovation Center of the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University is dedicated to the research and exploration of the cross-integration of medicine and meteorology. Recently, Professor Li Xin's team compiled the basic information of 246,097 inpatients with stroke in 24 tertiary hospitals in Tianjin in the past ten years, and conducted a data analysis on the incidence and mortality of stroke patients.

The results showed that extending heating can significantly reduce the incidence of stroke in cold seasons. The daily temperature difference (the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures in a day) is a risk factor for stroke. For every 1°C increase in the daily temperature difference, the incidence of stroke increases by 2%. Every year from November 1 to November 15 and March 16 to March 31 is the extended heating period. From 2016 to 2020, the daily temperature difference in the above two periods generally increased compared with the same period from 2011 to 2015, but the incidence of stroke did not increase, which fully shows that the city government's extension of heating plays a positive preventive role in the onset of stroke.

Extending heating can also significantly improve the prognosis of stroke patients and reduce the mortality rate of stroke in cold seasons. Studies have shown that extending heating can reduce the incidence of stroke in both genders, with a more significant effect on women.

As Tianjin entered the silver society earlier, the middle-aged and elderly are more sensitive to temperature changes due to arteriosclerosis and other reasons. The extension of heating measures fully protects this group of people, helps them cope with sudden temperature changes, and provides solid protection for the health of the people.