The association between indoor cold exposure and cardiovascular risk: a prospective cohort study

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K10476
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 58030:Hygiene and public health-related: excluding laboratory approach
• Research Institution: Nara Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Saeki Keigo 奈良県立医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (60364056)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大林 賢史 奈良県立医科大学, 医学部, 特任准教授 (30596656) ; 山上 優紀 奈良県立医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (90823956)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 室温 / 心血管疾患 / 外気温

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We conducted a mail survey using a questionnaire asking incidence of cardiovascular disease during five years among participants of a cohort study investigating the indoor environment at baseline. We received 2665 responses (94.5%), and the mean age of respondents was 73.5 (standard deviation: 8.16) years. The incidence proportion of cardiovascular disease was 4.5 %. Based on the indoor and outdoor temperatures at the baseline survey, we divided the respondents into the cold house group (n = 1300) and the control group (n= 1338). The incidence proportion of cardiovascular disease among the cold house group (5.15%) was higher than that of the control group (3.89%), but the difference between them was not significant (p = 0.133).

Free Research Field

環境疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は住環境の温度と心血管疾患罹患の関連を調査した初めての大規模前向きコホート研究である。温かい住宅に住む対象者と寒い住宅にする対象者の間で、過去5年間の心血管疾患の発生状況に統計学的有意な差は認めなかったが、さらに長期の観察によって重要な知見を見出す可能性が示された。研究成果は、冬に上昇する心血管疾患死亡を予防し、健康寿命の延伸のためには、住環境の温度をどのように調整すべきであるかを検討するための科学的エビデンスとなるものである。