Glass R I, Zack M M
Lancet. 1979 Mar 3;1(8114):485-7. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)90835-3.
Death certificates in eastern Massachusetts after six blizzards in 1974--78, including the record blizzard of Feb. 6, 1978, were examined to identify the effect on mortality of these storms. The total number of deaths was significantly higher (8%) in a "blizzard week" than in the preceding and subsequent (control) weeks (114.1 vs. 105.3 deaths per day). Deaths from ischaemic heart-disease (I.H.D.), which rose significantly by 22% in the blizzard week from 36.7 to 44.6 deaths per day, accounted for 90% of the excess total deaths. The increase was greater in males than in females (30% vs. 12%), and in both sexes there was no difference in the distribution of deaths by age between the blizzard and control weeks. I.H.D. deaths were increased for 8 days after a snowstorm, suggesting that the effect was related to activities such as snow shovelling rather than the storm itself. The identification of those at increased risk of I.H.D. death after major snowstorms and of the circumstances surrounding such deaths could lead to public-health measures to reduce these weather-related premature deaths.
对马萨诸塞州东部1974年至1978年期间六次暴风雪（包括1978年2月6日的创纪录暴风雪）后的死亡证明进行了审查，以确定这些风暴对死亡率的影响。在“暴风雪周”的死亡总数显著高于前一周和后一周（对照周）（分别为每天114.1例死亡和105.3例死亡），高出8%。缺血性心脏病（I.H.D.）导致的死亡在暴风雪周显著上升，从每天36.7例增至44.6例，增幅达22%，占总死亡超额数的90%。男性的增幅大于女性（30%对12%），且在暴风雪周和对照周，两性按年龄分布的死亡情况无差异。暴风雪过后8天，缺血性心脏病导致的死亡人数都在增加，这表明这种影响与铲雪等活动有关，而非暴风雪本身。识别出在重大暴风雪后缺血性心脏病死亡风险增加的人群以及此类死亡的相关情况，可能会促成公共卫生措施，以减少这些与天气相关的过早死亡。
