Weather patterns and cardiac arrest risks in Hungary

A five-year study involving the Hungarian National Ambulance Service, Semmelweis University, and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics has established a link between specific weather patterns and spikes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA).

Analyzing over 114,000 cases from late 2018 through 2023, researchers found that temperature is a primary risk factor, with every one-degree Celsius drop in temperature correlating to a 1.4 percent increase in daily cardiac arrests. The study noted that cardiac arrest events are approximately 18 percent more frequent in winter than in summer. Additionally, low wind speeds were associated with these spikes, while higher wind speeds appeared to have a protective effect.

The findings suggest that meteorological data can predict increases in OHCA up to three days in advance. Researchers propose that weather forecasting could be used to provide early warnings to emergency services to manage anticipated surges in demand and to help cardiovascular patients prepare for high-risk periods.