The impact of climate change and increasing ambient temperatures on population-level blood pressure trends

Human populations experience major health issues because of climate change and global warming effects. The research project studied how rising temperatures impact blood pressure patterns in Uzbekistan between 2015 and 2024. The research team obtained blood pressure measurements for over 500000 adult individuals from the Ministry of Health database whereas they collected daily temperature information from eight provincial Meteorological Service stations. The researchers employed time series models together with nonlinear lag distribution models for their data analysis. The study found that average annual temperature for the period increased by 1.7 degrees Celsius while the population's average systolic blood pressure rose from 126.8 to 132.3 mmHg. The percentage of people with high blood pressure increased from 28% to 34.6%. The study discovered an inverted U-shaped relationship between temperature and blood pressure, which showed that at temperatures below 5 degrees, systolic blood pressure increased by 3.8 mmHg while temperatures above 35 degrees, led to a 2.4 mmHg blood pressure rise. The study found that heat waves caused a 23 percent rise in cardiovascular hospitalization rates and a 28 percent rise in death rates which particularly affected elderly people and residents of disadvantaged communities. The study found that blood pressure levels during winter months exceeded summer levels by 3.9 mmHg and that people who lacked cooling systems experienced greater blood pressure increases during heat waves. The research demonstrates that climate change together with rising temperatures has produced major blood pressure changes throughout the population of Uzbekistan. The health effects of this phenomenon require early warning system development and protection of vulnerable populations and seasonal treatment adjustments.

Перевод пока недоступен