Guest essay by Eric Worrall
A new study claims exposure to heat stress increases the risk of congenital heart defects.
Climate change may increase congenital heart defects
Journal of the American Heart Association Report
January 30, 2019 Categories: Heart News
Study Highlights:
- The rise in temperatures stemming from climate change may increase the number of U.S. infants born with congenital heart defects between 2025 and 2035.
- The greatest percentage increases in the number of congenital heart defects are predicted in the Midwest, followed by the Northeast and the South.
- Pregnant women need to be aware of the dangers of extreme heat exposure, especially during early pregnancy.
Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT / 5 a.m. ET Wednesday, January 30, 2019
DALLAS, January 30, 2019 — Rising temperatures stemming from global climate change may increase the number of infants born with congenital heart defects (CHD) in the United States over the next two decades and may result in as many as 7,000 additional cases over an 11 year-period in eight representative states (Arkansas, Texas, California, Iowa, North Caroline, Georgia, New York and Utah), according to new research in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
“Our findings underscore the alarming impact of climate change on human health and highlight the need for improved preparedness to deal the anticipated rise in a complex condition that often requires lifelong care and follow-up,” said study senior author Shao Lin, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., professor in the School of Public Health at University of Albany, New York. “It is important for clinicians to counsel pregnant women and those planning to become pregnant on the importance of avoiding extreme heat, particularly 3-8 weeks post conception, the critical period of pregnancy.”
Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect in the United States affecting some 40,000 newborns each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our results highlight the dramatic ways in which climate change can affect human health and suggest that pediatric heart disease stemming from structural heart malformations may become an important consequence of rising temperatures,” said the leading author Wangjian Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Albany.
The projected increase in children with congenital heart disease will pose greater demand on the medical community caring for newborns with heart disease in their infancy and well beyond.
While previous research has found a link between maternal heat exposure and the risk for heart defects in the offspring, the precise mechanisms remain unclear. Studies in animals suggest that heat may cause fetal cell death or interfere with several heat-sensitive proteins that play a critical role in fetal development, the researchers say.
The estimates in the current study are based on projections of the number of births between 2025 and 2035 in the United States and the anticipated rise in average maternal heat exposure across different regions as a result of global climate change. The greatest percentage increases in the number of newborns with CHD will occur in the Midwest, followed by the Northeast and South.
In their analysis, the researchers used climate change forecasts obtained from NASA and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. They improved the spatial and temporal resolutions of the forecasts, simulated changes in daily maximum temperatures by geographic region and then calculated the anticipated maternal heat exposure per region for spring and summer. For each pregnancy and region, they defined three exposure indicators: 1) the count of excessively hot days (EHD) as the number of days exceeding the 90th (EHD90) or 95th (EHD95) percentile for the same season of the baseline period at the same region; 2) the frequency of extreme heat events (EHE) as the number of occurrences of at least three consecutive EHD 90 days or two consecutive EHD 95 days; and 3) the duration of EHE as the number of days for the longest EHE within the 42-day period.
To obtain a parameter for congenital heart defect (CHD) burden projections, the investigators used data from an earlier study, also led by Lin, which gauged the risk of congenital heart defects based on maternal heat exposure for births occurring between 1997 and 2007. The researchers then integrated the heat-CHD associations identified during the baseline period with the projected increases in maternal heat exposure over a period between 2025 and 2035 to estimate the potential changes in CHD burden.
“Although this study is preliminary, it would be prudent for women in the early weeks of pregnancy to avoid heat extremes similar to the advice given to persons with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease during heart spells,” said Shao Lin, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate director of environmental health services, University at Albany, State University of New York.
Other investigators included Tanya Spero, M.S.; Christopher Nolte, Ph.D.; Valerie Garcia, Ph.D.; Ziqiang Lin, Ph.D.; Paul Romitti, Ph.D.; Gary Shaw, Ph.D.; Scott Sheridan, Ph.D.; Marcia Feldkamp, Ph.D.; Alison Woomert, Ph.D.; Syni-An Hwang, Ph.D.; Sarah Fisher, M.P.H.; Marilyn Browne, Ph.D.; and Yuantao Hao, M.D., Ph.D. There were no author disclosures.
This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with partial support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Additional Resources:
- Available multimedia located on the right column of the release link: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/climate-change-may-increase-congenital-heart-defects?preview=f9d168ef92d192dbb1155b3bad30ac8f
- After January 30, view the manuscript online.
- For more information visit: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/congenital-heart-defects
- Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews
###
Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/aha-financial-information.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a leading force for a world of longer, healthier lives. With nearly a century of lifesaving work, the Dallas-based association is dedicated to ensuring equitable health for all. We are a trustworthy source empowering people to improve their heart health, brain health and well-being. We collaborate with numerous organizations and millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, advocate for stronger public health policies, and share lifesaving resources and information. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
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Source: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/climate-change-may-increase-congenital-heart-defects
The full study is available here.
Even if we accept at face value the predictions of the “high-resolution climate projections” described in the full study, and the claimed correlation between heat exposure and heart defects, there is a simple solution to reducing the risk during hot weather; stay indoors and turn up the air conditioner.
Of course, expectant mothers on low incomes require reliable, affordable electricity to be able to run their air conditioner continuously during a heatwave.
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Clearly, all pregnant women should be re-located to a milder climate. I suggest San Francisco. They are determined to host the entire world.
It appears all types of lunatic fringe researchers are trying to jump on the climate change bandwagon in hopes of scamming more grant money. Actually this may be a good sign. I liken it to a bull stock market. When do you know the bull run is coming to a close? You know it when greeter at Walmart (no disrespect to the greeters), who knows nothing about the stock market, starts buying stocks.
I call this total BS. Anybody with a blood pressure monitor and a hot-tub knows about blood pressure drops after you get out of the hot-tub. Yes, pulse rate does rise for a short time however, the pressure drop for the next 6-8 hours afterwards is exceptionally beneficial. The authors of this study qualify as absolute evil.
The key piece of evidence for this paper is another paper by the same first author that provided a link between heat exposure and CHD (cited as #7 in the current paper). Paper #7 appeared in a Environment International that almost no-one reads in the medical community. I presume the manuscript was rejected by premier medical journals, The authors have found this unrelated rack to hang their piece, because nowadays there is a journal that will publish every piece of crap.
It would be quite premature to assume that the findings of paper #7 is valid until they are confirmed by others. Building a case over such a dubious foundation does not provide confidence in their science.
It is also a shame that a premier AHA journal publishes this crap that is based on pure speculation and conjecture.
But no doubt it was “Peer Reviewed:, Hi. so it must be true.
MJE
Climate change causes not only heart defects in infants, it causes brain damage in adults.
Only in the believers as other have junk filters that immediately ignore stuff like this.
[appreciate the sentiment given current events, but just a little over the top for this site at this time~mod]
Nigerian ( a relatively hot climate to be born in) reported data discusses how congenital heart disease (quote): “…incidence … tropics … not different from …rest of world ….” While also noting that ” … defects … vary in … races ….” See free full (2007) text available on-line of “Spectrum of congenital heart disease in a tropical environment: an echocardiography study.”
Study looks at factors that are recognized as “defects”; such as ventricular septal defect (VSD), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), atrial septal defect (ASD) & several others. They found the “defect” co-arctation of the aorta (CoA) uncommon in Nigeria & mention that this, as well as congenital aortic stenosis (which I believe -?- may be now popularly called aortic valve stenosis, AVS) are (quote): ” … rarer in … black races than in … caucasian.”
Original Post seems far fetched to me based on this Nigerian study using laboratory equipment to
get data; I haven’t looked for more recent research however.
What a shame to “science” it is, that all these Phds put their names to “stuff” like this. No wonder more and more people do not believe in even real science, which suffers because of all the chaff contaminating the wheat.
It isn’t science it was published in a medical journal which have a history of publishing junk marketing papers and misinformation.
But all the PhDs that put their names to the study – did they get their doctorates via mail order, or what? That’s the point. PhDs in the medical field, or any other field, are rightly seen as representing science. Junk science in this case, but most people will think it is grounded in reality.
Almost all of the warming (the tiny 1/3 degree C on land since 2002) has been in the arctic and overnight over land masses when daytime highs are long gone.
There is no way any study could sift out heat stress heart effects with such a small amount of stress that is likely to be seen any time soon. Not believable.
If there is ANY truth to this study’s assertions, THE MUCH HIGHER COSTS OF ELECTRICITY CAUSED BY ALL THE “AGW DO GOODERS” WILL PUT THE BABIES OF THE POOR AT HIGHER RISK since the expecting poor parents can’t afford to run their air conditioners.
The AHA just sold their last ounce of credibility on this one. Total crap.
NASA’s credibility is long dead and gone. Except for interplanetary expeditions, NASA has lost purpose and its soul. It’s time to defund most of NASA’s activities.
Beginning when they overlapped NOAA and NASA responsibilities, there has been a race to the bottom. The latest National Climate Assessment reads like the novel Catch 22; you want to laugh and cry at the same time.
Always in full propaganda mode, the CBC delivers this “opinion” piece:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/opinion-manitoba-youth-climate-change-1.4984144
“The wisdom of youth: On climate change, adults should listen to young voices”
Indeed, knowledgeable, critically thinking adults should listen to gullible, barely educated and brainwashed by David Suzuki youth!
The ridiculous act of the Swede pimpled blond lecturing UN bureaucrats duly orchestrated by the COP and Davos system themselves in order to make these gullible youth believe they know more is used by the writer “Susan Huebert is a Winnipeg writer with published articles for children and adults, on topics ranging from science to current events and social justice”.
Perhaps we should ask these youth’s opinion before attempting critical surgery: they must know better right Susan?
Obviously, everybody here is misrepresenting this study.
The authors don’t asserting that the observed increase in number of congenital heart defects is caused by climate change. Instead, according to them, the real reason is some kind of magic, heart spell.
Quote (literally):
“Although this study is preliminary, it would be prudent for women in the early weeks of pregnancy to avoid heat extremes similar to the advice given to persons with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease during heart spells,” said Shao Lin, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate director of environmental health services, University at Albany, State University of New York.
I am not native speaker of English, so I am not sure, but it is funny in Hungarian to recommend women in the early weeks of pregnancy to avoid heart spell.
Or use cars with automatic transmissions, or ball-point pens (Prof. Biro), or try solving the Rubik’s Cube. All Hungarian inventions.
They could not spell heat.
I don’t quite believe this result, it smells spurious. I don’t think hot sownah bathing causes CHD, but you never know, maybe CHD is unknown in Nunavut.
So the cover-up begins, This IS the truth about why in 2025/30 there will be a spike in birth defects it will be worse then thalidomide
“Thalidomide causes birth defects.[8][7][14] The FDA and other regulatory agencies have approved marketing of the drug only with an auditable risk evaluation and mitigation strategy that ensures that people using the drug are aware of the risks and avoid pregnancy; this applies to men and women both, as the drug can be transmitted in sperm.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide
“Imagine you are five years old, in school and sitting with a wi-fi laptop near your abdomen.
Theoretically, your ovaries can become irradiated until you leave school at aged 16-18 years
old. When you become pregnant, every one of your follicles (to become eggs) will have
been microwaved. Hence, you may or may not deliver a healthy child.
Should you become a pregnant as a student, your embryo (for its first 100 days – if it is
female) is producing approximately 400,000 follicles (within its ovaries) for future childbirth.
The problem is that these developing follicle cells do not have the cellular protection of
mature adult cells. Consequently your ‘Grandchild’ may have had every single follicle cell
irradiated and damaged prior to its conception. Therefore when your child becomes an
adult (with its irradiated follicles) there is a greater likelihood of its child (your Granddaughter) suffering the ailments previously mentioned, during conception / embryonic and
foetal development stages.”
http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/emerging/docs/emf_117.pdf
not even worth printing that study to use as toilet paper
What infuriating deceptive rent seeking anti-scientific crap the slimeball authors have produced.
Congenital heart defects are not correlated to weather.
The gall of these pos fear mongers is beyond acceptability.
The climate consensus, at it’s core, is irrational fear mongering claptrap.
The article should be withdrawn, and the authors and “peer reviewers” should be sanctioned.
From the study that they used:
RESULTS:
“Overall, we observed no significant relationships between maternal EHE exposure and CHDs in most regions during summer. However, we found that 3-11 days of EHE90 during summer and spring was significantly associated with ventricular septal defects (VSDs) study-wide (ORs ranged: 2.17-3.24). EHE95 in spring was significantly associated with conotruncal defects and VSDs in the South (ORs: 1.23-1.78). Most EHE indicators in spring were significantly associated with increased septal defects (both VSDs and atrial septal defects (ASDs)) in the Northeast.”
CONCLUSION:
“While generally null results were found, long duration of unseasonable heat was associated with the increased risks for VSDs and ASDs, mainly in South and Northeast of the US. Further research to confirm our findings is needed.”
metmike: They use one study that finds “generally null results” and spin it into a catastrophic climate change congenital heart defect study based on what appears to be some numbers that don’t correlate well to support the theory. No additional research to support it.
Why would heat only correlate with a higher incidence of a certain condition in the South and Northeast?
Heat is heat. It doesn’t know where you live. If heat and humidity combined was a factor………and it is during heat waves, why only use temperature?
The study they used, identified 5848 CHD cases and 5742 controls
I’ll bet that most of them spent 95-98% of their time in air conditioning during these high heat events……………..aha, there’s the real culprit!!!
Women who spend extended periods of time with the air conditioner cranked up because of heat waves, 3 to 9 weeks after conception, increase the risk of their babies having a congenital heart defect. …………but only in the South and Northeast.
That makes more sense than to say that women, who spend 2% of their time in heat, 3 to 9 weeks after conception have an increased risk of having a congenital heart defect…..but only in the South and Northeast.
Actually, neither one makes sense
With all this laughably junk “science”, all this pathetic bunch of BS submerging the mainstream,
telling us that CAGW caused, causes and will cause everything, its opposite and any other kind of rubbish,
I wonder when ordinary people (i.e., honnest, with some common sense) will rise the red flag and put all this garbage in the trash.
Oy Vey! Another “May” study published with great authority and precision
If you really want a correlation with heat, you don’t bother with all kinds of nonsense about supposed annual high temperatures and heart defects by year, you simply do a correlation by birth date which will show more birth defects for babies carried to term during the spring-summer-autumn than for those carried during autumn-winter-spring. If the supposition is true you might even get information about when the fetus is most vulnerable to heat.