with these weather warning because of the heat do you reguard af as a chronic illness

[spongebob]

[dbparsons]

I was thinking the reverse, I don't know whether it is an "old wives tale" but I was always led to believe that hot weather thins the blood. Mind you I do work in the tropics and I have permanent AF.

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Spongebob

Personally, and like dbparsons with permanent AF I don;t think it's chronic, but the weather warning does effect those with heart conditions, but almost always the same advice, hydrate, hydrate hydrate.

It seems that perspiration is the main challnege obviously the body's mechanism to cool us and the water content needs to come from somewhere, so if we are nor drinking it, then this puts additional strain on the heart. Not sure where the "hot weather thins the blood comes from " as a purely amateur scientist seems illogical, as without hydration the fluid content would come from the blood and therefore "thicken" or rather add to the viscosity, so this idea of thinning the blood seems contrary.

BUT we all talk glibly about thinning the blood when we take warfarin or similar and it does nothing of the sort, it does not change the viscosity of our blood, it simply stops it coagulating as easily, thick or thin the coagualation factor could be exatcly the same.

Interesting thread

Ian