2026-01-26 / 美国东部时间下午2:17 / CBS新闻
随着美国大部分地区从一场重大冬季风暴中清理积雪，卫生官员再次发出警告：铲雪可能带来严重且可能致命的心脏病发作风险。
“铲雪无疑会增加心脏病发作和心源性猝死的风险，尤其是男性、患有未知冠心病或有多种心脏危险因素的人群，”弗吉尼亚大学健康系统心脏病专家、美国心脏病学会主席克里斯托弗·克莱默（Christopher Kramer）博士表示。
克莱默告诉CBS新闻，心脏危险因素包括糖尿病、高血压、胆固醇升高、心脏病家族史、吸烟，以及久坐的生活方式。他表示，铲雪加剧这些风险的原因“很复杂”，涉及运动类型和环境两个方面。
克莱默称，推雪和抬雪的动作能使心率和血压的升高幅度超过跑步等高强度活动，而寒冷暴露只会加剧心脏负担——低温本身就会导致血管收缩、血压骤升，这些都是心脏病发作的危险因素。
“你面临双重问题：工作量增加导致氧需求上升，而寒冷导致血管收缩又减少了氧供应，”克莱默解释道，“对于那些体质不佳、有多种心脏病风险因素且缺乏规律锻炼的人来说，在严寒天气进行这种强度的运动，风险尤为突出。”
美国心脏协会2020年的报告将铲雪列为对心脏压力最大的活动之一，尤其对不常锻炼的人群。该协会上月更新的警示报告引用了多项研究，强调无论是否有心脏病史，铲雪都存在危险。
2026年1月25日星期日，俄亥俄州辛辛那提市，一名行人在冬季风暴中清理人行道积雪。约书亚·A·比克尔 / 美联社
据CBS新闻费城站报道，在宾夕法尼亚州利哈伊县此次风暴中，已有3人在铲雪除冰时死亡，该县验尸官办公室证实了这一消息。死者年龄在60至84岁之间，均在铲雪过程中突发心脏相关医疗紧急事件。
验尸报告指出，三人死亡被判定为自然死亡，符合“在剧烈活动（如除雪）中，尤其是老年人群或有基础疾病者发生的心脏事件”特征。
该站气象学家比尔·凯利（Bill Kelly）敦促当地居民在清理人行道或车道时采取预防措施，称预计积雪之上还会覆盖一层雨夹雪和冻雨。
“如果出去铲雪，中途可能会遇到新落下的雨夹雪和结冰，”凯利解释道，“好消息是，小剂量运动可能风险较低，但结冰层会随着积雪清除过程变得更难处理。”
在同样遭受强降雪和极寒天气的明尼苏达州，心脏病专家乔希·巴克勒（Josh Buckler）强调了低温、体力活动与心脏健康之间的安全平衡。
“我告诫所有患者：铲雪时务必谨慎，”巴克勒在风暴来临前告诉CBS新闻明尼苏达站，“有数据显示，气温每下降2华氏度（约-17.8℃），0℃以下时心脏病发作风险会上升约2%，且该风险会持续28天。”
2017年发表的加拿大研究显示，特定区域8英寸（约20厘米）的强降雪，会使男性心脏相关住院风险增加16%，心脏病死亡风险增加34%。
克莱默分析，这一性别差异可能仅因男性更常承担铲雪任务。
为降低心脏病发作几率，他建议有心脏危险因素的人群铲雪时多休息，或最好完全避免这项工作。
“如果有这些风险因素，就付钱让邻居小孩帮忙铲雪，别自己动手，”他建议，“如果必须自己做，一定要定时休息。”
Major winter storm brings warnings about heart attack risk of shoveling snow
2026-01-26 / 2:17 PM EST / CBS News
As large parts of the U.S. dig out from a major winter storm, health officials are renewing warnings about the serious and potentially deadly risks of shoveling snow, which has been linked to heart attacks.
“Snow shoveling is definitely associated with an increased risk of both heart attack and sudden cardiac death, especially in men and those with unknown cardiac coronary heart disease, or with multiple cardiac risk factors,” said Christopher Kramer, a cardiologist and University of Virginia Health and the president of the American College of Cardiology.
Cardiac risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, family history of heart disease, and tobacco use, as well as a sedentary lifestyle, Kramer told CBS News. He said the reason why shoveling snow can exacerbate them “is complex,” involving the type of exercise as well as the environment.
The act of pushing and lifting snow can increase a person’s heart rate and blood pressure even more than activities considered especially taxing, like running, said Kramer. And exposure to the cold only compounds the cardiac strain, as low temperatures alone can cause blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to spike, which are risk factors for heart attacks.
“You have a dual problem, that you’re increasing demand for oxygen because of the workload, and you’re reducing supply because of the constriction of the blood vessels in the cold,” Kramer said. “So, you take someone who’s not in shape, who has a lot of risk factors for heart disease, they’re not getting regular exercise, and they go out on a very cold day and do what turns out to be one of the most vigorous forms of exercise you can do.”
A 2020 report by the American Heart Association listed shoveling snow among the top physical activities that can place stress on the heart, particularly if a person is not accustomed to exercising. An updated warning from the association last month referenced numerous studies on the dangers of shoveling snow for people with and without heart disease.
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A person shovels a sidewalk during a winter storm Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joshua A. Bickel / AP
Three people died while trying to shovel and clear snow in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh County during this latest storm, CBS News Philadelphia reported, citing the county coroner’s office. Their ages ranged from 60 to 84, and all three apparently experienced cardiac-related medical emergencies while shoveling.
The coroner’s report said their deaths were ruled natural and consistent with cardiac events that can occur during “strenuous activity such as snow removal, particularly in older adults of those with underlying health conditions.”
One of the station’s meteorologists, Bill Kelly, urged people in the area to take precautions when it comes to clearing their sidewalks or driveways. He noted they were expecting a layer of sleet and freezing rain on top of the snow.
“If you go out and you shovel that, halfway through, if you shovel often, you’re going to get a fresh layer of sleet and ice on the ground,” Kelly said. “The good news is, smaller doses of exertion. That’s good. But the layer of ice is going to be hard to clean as it gets going.”
In Minnesota, which also saw significant snowfall and extremely cold temperatures, cardiologist Josh Buckler emphasized the importance of staying safe when it comes to temperature drops, physical exertion and heart health.
“I tell all my patients: Be cautious with shoveling,” Buckler told CBS News Minnesota before the winter storm arrived. “There’s some really great data that shows that for every 2-degree drop, after about 0 degrees, the heart attack risk goes up by about 2%. And that risk lasts for about 28 days afterwards.”
A Canadian study published in 2017 found that heavy snowfall of about 8 inches in a particular area corresponded with a 16% increased risk of cardiac-related hospitalizations and a 34% increased risk of death from heart attacks in men.
Kramer said the gender-specific figure could simply be due to the fact that men took on the duty of shoveling most often.
To lower the chances of experiencing a heart attack, he recommends people with cardiac risk factors take breaks while shoveling snow, or better yet, avoid the task altogether.
“If you have these risk factors, pay the kid down the street to shovel your walk. Don’t do it,” he said. “If you have to do it, take breaks.”
