Intense heat and strain appear to put firefighters at a greater risk of heart attack, a new study finds.
The physical demands of firefighting may trigger the formation of blood clots and impair blood vessel function -- two factors associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers in Scotland report.
Their report helps explain why heart disease is the leading cause of death among "the bravest," as they're known. In the United States, heart disease accounts for nearly half of annual on-duty firefighter fatalities, most of them from heart attack, said Dr. Nicholas Mills, lead researcher on the study.