An Unexpected External Factor in the Development of Myocardial Infarction Revealed 0 8

Weather changes may influence the likelihood of developing a myocardial infarction. This conclusion was reached by researchers who analyzed the relationship between weather conditions and the frequency of heart attacks using machine learning methods. The results of the study were published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (FCM).

Scientists examined data from 11,527 patients with infarction registered over a 10-year period at one of the cardiology centers in Beijing and compared it with daily meteorological indicators. The analysis revealed that days with a higher number of infarctions were more often characterized by low temperatures, significant daily temperature fluctuations, and weak winds, as well as lower humidity and precipitation levels.

Using the Random Forest machine learning model, researchers identified key weather factors associated with an increased risk of infarction. The most important parameter was the daily temperature fluctuation — it had the strongest impact on the likelihood of an increase in the number of infarction cases.

According to the authors of the study, such models can help healthcare systems predict periods of increased load on cardiology services and allocate medical resources in advance. In the future, scientists plan to improve the accuracy of forecasts by adding information about patients' age, diseases, and other characteristics to the weather data.