Cardiologist Leonardo De Luca warns heat stress threatens heart health

Cardiologist Leonardo De Luca explains that high temperatures place the heart under significant strain even without physical activity. Heat forces the body to pump more blood to dissipate warmth, leading to tachycardia, vasodilation, increased sweating and loss of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. These changes can lower blood pressure, provoke arrhythmias and raise the risk of thrombosis, especially in people with existing cardiovascular disease.

De Luca stresses that the elderly, particularly older women, are most vulnerable. He advises monitoring “red‑flag” symptoms – unusual shortness of breath, palpitations, irregular heartbeat, leg swelling, confusion, fainting or rapid weight gain – and staying hydrated. He notes that climate‑related heat waves are becoming a global health concern, prompting a new cardiology consensus on extreme temperature effects.