With many areas of Oklahoma reaching peak summer temperatures, the INTEGRIS Health Heart Hospital and the American Heart Association (AHA) are preaching prevention.
It’s not something many people think about, but temperatures over 100 or even temperatures in the 80s with high humidity can cause a dangerous heat index that can be hard on the heart. “In hot weather, the body tries to cool itself by shifting blood from major organs to underneath the skin,” explains Kathryn Farguson-Jayo, D.O., a cardiologist with INTEGRIS Health Cardiovascular Physicians Edmond. “This shift causes the heart to pump more blood, putting it under significantly more stress.”
Heat precautions are especially important for people on certain medications. “Some heart medications like angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and diuretics, which affect blood pressure responses or deplete the body of sodium, can exaggerate the body’s response to heat and cause you to feel ill in extreme heat,” adds Farguson-Jayo…