Brazil Study Finds Statistical Link Between Solar Storms and Heart Attacks in Women

Overview

• An INPE team reported a statistical association between geomagnetic disturbances and myocardial infarction, publishing the findings in July in Communications Medicine.
• The analysis matched 1,340 hospitalizations in São José dos Campos from 1998 to 2005 with the Kp index, categorizing days as calm, moderate or disturbed.
• Women aged 31–60 showed up to a threefold relative increase in cases on disturbed days, a pattern not observed to the same extent in men.
• The authors emphasize the study is observational and limited to a single city, so it does not establish causality or justify changes in clinical guidance.
• Heightened interest follows a recent solar maximum that produced more intense storms, spurring calls for multi-site studies and research into biological mechanisms.