Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesResearch article
Clinical impact of seasonal and environmental factors in patients with acute heart failure
- analysis of patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF)
Authors' conclusion
Winter admission for HF was associated with older age, more comorbidities, and higher in-hospital and short-term mortality, which may be partly explained by lower temperatures and shorter sunlight.
Study context
- Population
- Patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF), classified by season of admissionpatients hospitalized for HF · spring 788 · summer 699 · fall 645 · winter 725
- Participants
- 2,857 patients
- Comparison
- Baseline characteristics, clinical outcomes, and environmental factors corresponding to the admission month were compared among the groups
- springn = 788
- summern = 699
- falln = 645reference
- wintern = 725
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Baseline characteristics by season
- The winter group was older and more frequently had hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and thyroid disease
- No seasonal differences in sex, body mass index, HF aetiology, other comorbidities, B-type natriuretic peptide levels, or left ventricular ejection fraction
Further findings
| Outcome | odds ratio | P value |
|---|---|---|
| In-hospital cardiac and all-cause, 90-day cardiac, and all-cause mortality | 2.13, 1.85, 1.69, 2.01, 1.80 | P < 0.05 |
- In-hospital cardiac and all-cause, 90-day cardiac, and all-cause mortality: higher risk with winter; five odds ratios printed 'respectively' for the listed mortality outcomes
Environmental factors and outcomes
- Lower temperature was associated with 90-day cardiac and all-cause mortality
- Shorter sunshine duration was associated with 90-day all-cause mortality
- Higher PM2.5 concentrations were associated with in-hospital cardiac mortality
- Atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, and influenza activity were not associated with clinical outcomes
Original publication
Clinical impact of seasonal and environmental factors in patients with acute heart failure. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. Published 16 April 2026. doi:10.1093/ehjacc/zuag059
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it