Background: Understanding the role of space weather, specifically Geomagnetic Disturbances (GMDs) caused by solar activity, on health outcomes is unclear. One emerging link includes the impact of space weather on myocardial infarctions (MI). In this study we examined the correlation between MI and GMDs in Brazil.
Methods: We used a database from the public health in Brazil, focusing on the city of São José dos Campos (23° 10' 44″ S, 45° 53' 13″ W), located in the state of São Paulo, during the period of 1998-2005. We focused on admissions for MIs, which included a total of 871 men and 469 women. We categorized the MI data into three age groups: age 30 and younger, age 31-60, and age over 60. Additionally, we incorporated Planetary Index (Kp) data as an indicator of variations in the Earth's geomagnetic field resulting from solar disturbances, categorized as quiet, moderate, or disturbed days. In our analysis, we employed two methods: statistical counting and the unsupervised clustering known as K-Means, considering the attributes of age, sex, and geomagnetic condition.
Results: Here we show that geomagnetic conditions have an impact on MI cases, particularly for women. The rate of relative frequency of MI cases during disturbed geomagnetic conditions is almost three times greater compared to quiet geomagnetic conditions. Using the unsupervised K-Means algorithm, the results indicate that the group associated with disturbed geomagnetic conditions has a higher incidence of MIs in women.
Conclusions: Overall, our results provide evidence that women may exhibit a higher susceptibility to the effects of geomagnetic disturbances caused by solar activity on MI.
Whether geomagnetic disturbances that occur due to the impact of the solar wind on the magnetosphere (outermost region of the atmosphere where the solar wind meets Earth’s magnetic field), can affect human health, or not, is unclear. In this study, we used a public health database from São Paulo, Brazil, containing cases of hospitalizations due to heart attacks during the period 1998-2005. Using data from the Earth’s magnetic field, we classified days as either quiet, moderate, or disturbed and examined their influence on heart attack rates. We found that the proportion of heart attacks was higher in women compared to men on the disturbed days. Our results suggest that women have a greater susceptibility to these geomagnetic conditions and should be monitored for potential heart attacks on days when geomagnetic conditions are disturbed.
© 2025. The Author(s).