Every fall, the Bay Area's skies turn hazy, the air smells faintly of smoke, and local news starts flashing Air Quality Index (AQI) numbers. Most people think of wildfire smoke as a lung problem. It isn't just that it's a heart problem too, and for the thousands of Fremont and Hayward residents living with high blood pressure, prior heart attacks, or arrhythmias, fire season can be one of the riskiest times of year. At West Coast Medicine and Cardiology, Dr. Rajesh Sam Suri and our team see this pattern firsthand every year: a rise in chest pain visits, blood pressure spikes, and irregular heartbeat complaints that track almost exactly with local AQI alerts. This guide explains why that happens, who is most at risk, and the specific steps you can take to protect your heart this fire season plus when it's time to call a cardiologist. Why Wildfire Smoke Is a Cardiovascular Problem, Not Just a Respiratory One Wildfire smoke is made up of fine particulate matter k...
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