Exposure to Extreme Heat Stress Linked to ED Visits in Children

FRIDAY, Dec. 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to extreme heat stress is associated with increased risks for emergency department visits and unplanned hospital admissions among children and adolescents, according to a study published online Dec. 26 in Pediatrics.

Wen-Qiang He, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., from the University of Sydney in Camperdown, Australia, and colleagues conducted a population-based case-crossover study of all emergency department visits and unplanned hospital admissions among children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years from July 2001 to December 2020 in New South Wales, Australia. The associations between extreme heat stress exposure, measured by heatwave days (two consecutive days or more with daily maximum Universal Thermal Climate Index in the ≥95th percentile), and emergency department visits and hospital admissions were examined.

Overall, 8,240,170 emergency department visits and 1,427,736 unplanned hospital admissions were recorded. The researchers found that heatwave days were associated with an increased risk for emergency department visits and hospital admissions due to infectious diseases and infectious enteritis (5 to 17 percent) and heat-related illness (78 to 104 percent) compared with nonheatwave days. Consistent findings were seen in subgroup analyses. On heatwave days, children aged younger than 1 year and from the most disadvantaged areas were more vulnerable to heat-related illness. Using ambient temperatures only, the effects on hospitalization were attenuated.

“Findings can help inform targeted area-based strategies, particularly among vulnerable groups to mitigate the effects of extreme heat events,” the authors write.

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