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Journal

Brief Review

Cardiac Arrhythmia and Geomagnetic Activity

E. Stoupel, FESC.

Division of Cardiology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel

Address for correspondence: Prof. E. Stoupel, FESC, Division of Cardiology, Rabin Medical
Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel. E-mail:[email protected]

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this paper is a review of a number of studies considering links
between life threatening cardiac arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death (SCD) and the level of
environmental physical activity factors like geomagnetic activity (GMA) and opposite them
cosmic ray and high energy proton flux. This is a part of studies in the field named Clinical
Cosmobiology.

Methods: Temporal distribution of cardiac arrhythmias and SCD daily and monthly were
compared to the level of GMA, space proton flux, cosmic ray activity according to neutron
activity (impulse/min) on the earth's surface. The cosmophysical data was obtained from the
cosmic science institutions in the USA, Russia and Finland (cosmic ray data, partially).
Results: As it follows from the results of the quoted studies there is an inverse relationship
between the frequency of cardiac arrhythmic events and SCD and the level of daily GMA.
Conclusions: Now studies are in progress considering the role of neutron (cosmic ray) activity in
the natural history of the mentioned events. According to the various studies, we can presume
that the GMA has some protective effect on cardiac arrhythmias and SCD.

Keywords: sudden cardiac death; cardiac arrhythmia; geomagnetic activity; proton flux; cosmic
ray.

Introduction

Geomagnetic activity (GMA) is part of the physical environment surrounding us. In last
century many studies were published discussing different links between the level of GMA and
human homeostasis. They include studies on cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death
(SCD). The medical community is not equivocal considering those findings. In an editorial
comment introducing one recent paper in this field the Editor-in-Chief of “PACE” wrote: “.. .The
question is whether the findings represent a new area for investigation or is a “straw man”.¹ In
this brief review some data will be presented demonstrating some links between cardiac
arrhythmic events and level of GMA.

Geomagnetic activity

The geomagnetic field is a physical phenomenon resulting from different rotation speeds
of different layers of our planet . The level of activity of the field can be affected by
“geoeffective” parts of magnetic fields coming as a result of solar explosions and accompanied
giant magnetic fields. A small portion of them can “disturb” the original geomagnetic field,

Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal (ISSN 0972-6292), 6(1): 49-53 (2006)

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