Christopher Kramer, MD
Christopher Kramer, MD, the George A. Beller MD/Lantheus Medical Imaging Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the UVA School of Medicine, discusses the dangers of snow shoveling and heart attack risk on CBSNews.com.
“Snow shoveling is definitely associated with an increased risk of both heart attack and sudden cardiac death, especially in men and those with unknown cardiac coronary heart disease, or with multiple cardiac risk factors,” said Dr. Kramer.
The act of pushing and lifting snow can increase a person’s heart rate and blood pressure even more than activities considered especially taxing, like running. And exposure to the cold only compounds the cardiac strain, as low temperatures alone can cause blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to spike, which are risk factors for heart attacks.
Read full article at CBSNews.com.
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