寒冷的冬季悄然来临，它带来的不仅仅只是飘落的雪花，同时也伴随着一些潜在的健康隐患。因此，对于老年人来说，了解这些隐患并加以预防是十分必要的。
心脏病和中风的风险
据统计数据表明，心脏病的在冬天的发病率要比在夏天要高得多。一些生活在几乎从未下过雪的区域的老人同样承受着这种风险，事实上，下雪不是关键，关键在于气温的高低。气温一旦骤降，人们的动脉血管就会收缩，对于年轻人来说这点儿影响倒不足为意，但对于老年人来说，一旦血管收缩过度，就有可能导致血液循环不畅，从而引发心脏缺血，导致心脏病和中风。人一旦上了年纪，就对温度有着极高的敏感度，一点小小的降温都会对他们造成很大的影响。年龄越大，身体对于温度变化的适应性就越差，因此在冬季，老年人首要考虑的就是保暖。
高血压的风险
即便不考虑气温因素，高血压也常常困扰着老年群体。随着年龄的增长，人的血管壁开始变得越来越薄，承受血液压强的能力变得越来越薄，一旦血压过高就有可能导致血管破裂，从而引发脑溢血、中风等症状。可以说，高血压对于老年人是非常危险的疾病。尤其在冬季，气温突然降低会使血管收缩挤压，进而血管内可供血液流动的空间缩小，血管壁承受了超出以往强度的压强，高血压的风险就变得越来越大，这是每一位老年人都不容忽视的问题。
维生素D匮乏
阳光是为人体提供维生素D的重要来源，人体内的胆固醇在经过阳光照射之后会转化为维生素D，因此缺乏晒太阳就意味着你将缺少维生素D，这是非常危险的。医学实验证明，人体内维生素D的含量过低会导致患心脏病、帕金森病、骨质疏松症等疾病的几率增加。与经常晒太阳的人群相比，不常晒太阳的人群患心脏病和中风的概率要高出两倍之多。每天晒15分钟太阳足以满足体内对维生素D的需要，不过糟糕的是，一些城市由于地理位置、气候等各种原因常年见不到太阳，晒太阳便成为了一种奢望。鉴于此种情况，这些地区的老年人就应当适量服用一些富含维生素D的补品。
冬季易生忧郁情绪
人的情绪在一定程度上会受到季节因素的影响，春季的和煦春风和夏季的灿烂阳光令人心情舒畅，秋季的萧索和冬季的灰白令人心情沉闷。在冬季，天短夜长也会带来情绪上的紊乱，这些症状包括焦虑、无精打采、不合群等。为了治疗这种情绪上的紊乱，医院大多采用人造光对人体进行照射。然而，仅仅依靠医学治疗是完全不够的，老年群体应当对这种症状的出现保持警惕，经常与子女沟通，多进行户外运动，在冬季也能保持一颗乐观开朗的心态。
肺部的健康
医学专家菲柯特说：“寒冷的天气可能会诱发一些呼吸疾病，例如哮喘、急性肺炎等。”冬季的空气寒冷干燥，并且流动性较弱，一些肺气肿患者的病情在这种情况下或许会更加糟糕。冬季的到来会改变老年人以往的作息习惯，因此向往常一样继续保持心脏锻炼显得比较困难。老年人在冬季非常需要进行有规律的锻炼来强壮身体，但是许多人并没有这样去做。因为天冷的缘故，也许人们并不太想出门，但是也应该在家中做一些锻炼，跑步机在这时就是个不错的选择。
Winter weather is here, and with it comes a whole new set of health hazards we need to know about and protect against. Some threats are obvious — the heart attacks triggered by shoveling snow — while others are just as dangerous, but more subtle.
And the threats are from not just falling snow, but also falling temperatures.
Here are five hidden dangers you should know about:
1. Heart attack and stroke
Many winter heart attacks aren't from the sudden exertion of shoveling snow.
While the number of heart attacks does spike in the winter — by some estimates there are 53 percent more now than in the summer — that's true all across the country, including in some Sunbelt states that never see a snowflake. It's winter's cold, not just snow, that poses the threat. Our arteries respond to cold by constricting, and that makes us more prone to heart attacks. Why? Narrow arteries can cut down the flow of blood through the body, "making your heart work harder, " says Roger Blumenthal, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center.
And even small temperature drops can cause big problems.
British researchers found that falling temperatures of less than 2 degrees Fahrenheit in a single day resulted in a 2 percent rise in the number of heart attacks that occurred during the next two weeks. That meant about 200 more heart attacks throughout England and Wales per "colder" day, according to a three-year study of temperature records and 84, 000 hospital admissions.
Moreover, as we age, the cold hits us harder — especially when the thermometer drops to 32 degrees or below. "The older you get, the harder it is to regulate body temperature, " says Ronan Factora, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Geriatric Medicine. "There's less fat and muscle, less ability to generate heat." So compared with those in their 50s, men and women in their 70s or 80s feel the cold more severely.
Constricting arteries, Blumenthal says, also can trigger tears or splits in the plaque that lines the walls of the arteries. When that happens, blood clots can form, triggering a heart attack or stroke, both of which also occur more frequently during winter.
2. High blood pressure
This cold-weather constriction of the arteries increases blood pressure. "Because there's less space for blood to flow, there's more resistance inside blood vessels, " explains Factora.
3. Vitamin D deficiency
Getting too little vitamin D — the sunshine vitamin — during winter's gray days can be dangerous. Less sunlight means you tend to get less vitamin D because it's primarily absorbed through the skin. Low levels of D have been linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis, heart attacks, dementia, heart disease and Parkinson's disease. Several studies also have shown that people with low vitamin D levels were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke, compared with those with higher levels.
About 15 minutes of sun on arms each day is often enough to maintain the levels you need. Unfortunately, in some parts of the country, the sun virtually disappears for months. Some older people may need to take vitamin D supplements. Check vitamin D recommendations and talk to your doctor about taking a supplement.
4. Winter blues
Shorter days with less sunlight bring a greater risk of seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs in the fall and winter. Symptoms include loss of energy, anxiety, oversleeping, social withdrawal and weight gain. The disorder is usually treated by exposing the patient to increased doses of artificial light.
5. Lung problems
"Cold weather tends to bring out more respiratory problems, such as asthma and a greater risk of pneumonia, " says Factora. Emphysema may also worsen in the winter, as cold and dry air narrows airways, restricting airflow into and out of the lungs to make breathing more difficult.
It doesn't help that winter makes it tougher to keep up our heart-healthy habits. "You really need to engage in regular exercise during cold weather, but many people don't, " says Blumenthal. "Maybe you can't walk outside when it's too cold, but you should do home exercises — perhaps get a treadmill." Using an exercise video is another option.
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