Solar activity and human health at middle and low geomagnetic latitudes in Central America

The study of the possible effect of solar variability on living organisms is one of the most controversial issues of present day science. It has been firstly and mainly carried on high latitudes, while at middle and low latitudes this study is rare. In the present review we focused on the work developed at middle and low geomagnetic latitudes of America. At these geomagnetic latitudes the groups consistently dedicated to this issue are mainly two, one in Cuba and the other in Mexico. The Cuban and Mexican studies show that at such latitudes there are biological consequences to the solar/geomagnetic activity, coinciding in four points: (1) the male population behave differently from the female population, (2) the most vulnerable age group to geomagnetic perturbations is that of >= 65 years old, (3) there is a tendency for myocardial infarctions (death or occurrence) to increase one day after a geomagnetic Ap index large value or during the day of the associated Forbush decrease, and (4) the myocardial infarctions (death or occurrence) increase as the geomagnetic perturbation increases. Additionally, the Cuban group found seasonal periodicities from their data, and also that increases of female myocardial infarctions occurred before and after the day of the geomagnetic disturbance. The Mexican group found that the male sex is more vulnerable to geomagnetic perturbations and that the myocardial infarction deaths present the conspicuous cycle of similar to 7 days. (C) 2009 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.