Elderly people and those with cardiovascular disease should pay special attention to drops in temperature, a doctor said.
A lingering fall heat wave, known locally as an “autumn tiger,” ended on Wednesday as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthened, with northern Taiwan seeing daytime highs dropping by up to 10°C to about 26°C, the Central Weather Bureau said.
Lingering rain started to ease on Saturday evening amid weakening northeasterly winds, and a cold and dry air mass is forecast to arrive today, former bureau Weather Forecast Center director Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said.
Cardiologist Liu Chung-ping (劉中平) said that colder temperatures cause peripheral blood vessels to contract, as the body seeks to maintain a stable temperature and protect the internal organs.
However, it also results in the heart having to work harder to send blood to the limbs, which can cause the blood pressure to rise, increase the risk of blood clots in the brain and the limbs, he said, adding that it might result in angina pectoris or heart attack.
People should wear multiple layers of clothes in cold weather, and put on a coat or jacket when leaving the house, he said.
People should also keep their lower limbs warm by wearing socks, he said.
However, people should also not dress too warmly, as this would also put stress on the body, he said.
People should also pay attention to temperature differences between warm places, such as inside houses and vehicles, and outdoors, he said.
Sudden exposure to colder temperatures might cause people to faint or even have a heart attack, he said.
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cold temperature-induced heart conditions, he added.
Alcohol causes blood vessels to expand, and exposure to colder temperatures, for example when leaving a restaurant, can cause them to contract rapidly, he said.
People who exercise regularly should reduce the duration and time they do so during cold weather, he said, adding that people should focus more on warm-up exercises before starting their sports routine.
Too much exercise during cold weather might overwhelm the heart, he said.
There are more instances of sudden death during cold weather, striking especially often when people enter their vehicle, as sudden exposure to warmer air inside might cause blood pressure to drop suddenly, he said.
Staying in a cramped space, such as a vehicle, for more than an hour during cold weather can lead to thrombosis in the lower limbs, he said.
If the movement of the legs is hampered for more than an hour, the viscosity of the blood increases, especially in cold weather, which increases the risk of the condition, he said, likening blood to grass jelly, which “is fluid when heated up, but congeal when its temperature drops.”
Severe thrombosis might lead to pulmonary embolism, he said.
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