Cooler Temperatures, Not Just Heat, Linked to Increased Heart Failure Hospitalizations, Study Finds

A new analysis of Medicare data, published in JAMA Network Open, indicates that hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) tend to increase with colder ambient temperatures. The study, which examined over 1.5 million hospitalizations from nearly 1 million patients between 2007 and 2022, found a higher likelihood of HF events in regions where the daily average temperature was below 75°F. This pattern was not observed with warmer temperatures, suggesting that cold weather may be a more significant factor in HF hospitalizations than previously emphasized.