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In Spanish
In many parts of the country, it is the time of snow storms, freezing rains and glacial winds. However, experts say older adults should think twice about shoveling snow off the sidewalk, especially if they have heart conditions or a history of heart disease.
According to Barry A. Franklin, who has studied the cardiac effects of shoveling snow and is the lead author of an American Heart Association scientific report on exercise-related heart risks, people die of stroke every year to the heart while shoveling snow or immediately afterward.
In fact, between 1990 and 2006, nearly 200,000 people went to emergency rooms for snow shoveling-related incidents, according to a 2011 study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. That figure represents an average of 11,500 people a year. During the same period, there were also about 1,647 deaths, all linked to heart problems.