Why do so many people

Last year, more than 23,000 elderly people in England and Wales died due to unbearable cold weather in winter. Earlier in 2004, the number of deaths in the winter amounted to 29,000.On average every hour, there are nearly 10 people aged 65 years and older ' on the other side of the world ' when the temperature drops to 4 ^o C. Meanwhile, in the coldest city in the world, Yakutsk in Eastern Sibérie (Russia), the number of deaths in the winter does not increase sharply, even when the temperature drops to minus 49 ^o C. So why are there so many deaths in the UK?

According to Queen Mary University Professor Bill Keatinge in London, the expert studied the problem, the countries with the mildest winters often have a higher death toll than countries with severe winters. He said that very few people died due to lower body temperature when the temperature dropped, mostly due to stroke and myocardial infarction . The reason is because blood clots easily (Photo: PA) body is cold. When cold, the body shrinks blood vessels under the skin to prevent blood flow to the skin and to keep the body temperature stable. This means blood rushes to the body's central organs, leading to overload in the heart and lungs. To reduce the load, the body excretes salt and water and results in the result: the blood becomes denser and easier to clump - the cause of myocardial infarction and stroke.

The second ' culprit ' is respiratory infections like the flu . Professor Keatinge added that the frequency of flu pandemics has decreased over the past 30 years. This downward trend is mainly due to the strong virulence of influenza viruses, not the annual flu vaccination for the elderly. According to his assessment, the causes related to illness and death due to cold weather have generally decreased because people know how to keep warmer and the health sector intervene. u

However, in the UK and countries like Portugal - there is also a high proportion of elderly deaths in the winter, keeping it warm is rather meager. ' People in Northern Finland are very aware of cold precautions. They kept the house warmer than the British and wore really warm clothes when going out , 'he said. Many studies show that the elderly, especially the low-income people, are at greatest risk of " leaving " for a number of reasons. First of all, the resistance to disease has weakened, blood circulation is more difficult than young people, who can tolerate condensed blood. For those with low pensions, it may be difficult to keep the home warmer and may depend on public transport or walking rather than cars.

Professor Keatinge also warned that global warming could make the situation worse. Global warming makes the winter less harsh and it can be dangerous. Because when there is no worry about the cold, people tend to be less interested in heating and wearing warm clothes. According to statistics, whenever the temperature below 18 ^o C decreases by 1oC, the death rate in winter increases by 1.4%.

N.MINH