Extreme environmental events have a significant impact on cardiovascular health. As climate change continues to have an effect on the world, the need for evidence-based interventions and responses will continue to grow, a brief report explains. Kai Chen, PhD, of the Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, and colleagues, reported this information in a manuscript published Wednesday online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in response to and with concern for the recent wildfires around the Los Angeles area. “The devastation from wildfires, prolonged drought, and extreme weather events has become an all-too-familiar sight. These events, which are worsening due to climate change, are not merely environmental crises—they are pressing public health emergencies,” the authors wrote. The US experienced several climate disasters in 2024, from droughts to wildfires, which totaled to more than 27 billion dollars in disaster repair. Wildfire smoke creates extremely toxic air, which can lead to inflammation, oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction. Clinicians have a unique challenge in addressing the impacts of climate change on cardiovascular health. Three natural disaster events create compounded risks for individuals: events that occur simultaneously, events that set the stage for the next environmental disaster to follow and events with ripple effects on healthcare. Investigators in this report suggested a three-pronged framework for cardiologists to follow to help mitigate cardiovascular risks before, during and after environmental events: anticipation, where health systems can identify high-risk populations and develop predictive models; mitigation through investments in climate-resilient infrastructure and emergency supplies and adaptation by addressing and surveilling the ever-changing cardiovascular complications that arise from disaster-prone areas. The authors suggested three key questions that remain up for discussion for future studies and clinical practice: What are the long-term cardiovascular impacts of repeated exposure to compound events? How can we integrate climate considerations into cardiovascular risk assessments and treatment guidelines? And what role can the cardiovascular community play in advocating for systemic change? Overall, the changing climate will continue to have a growing impact on cardiovascular health in the coming years. Clinicians and researchers can contribute to these public health challenges by advancing both science and patient care. Source: Chen K, Lu Y, Krumholz HM. Wildfires, Compound Extreme Events, Climate Change, and Cardiovascular Health. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025 Jan 22 (Article in Press). Image Credit: studiographicmh – stock.adobe.com