Hot Weather Heats Up Hospital Admissions

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The weather isn't the only thing that heats up when temperatures rise.

According to Italian researchers, so do trips to the hospital. Their study is the first to show hospital admissions go up during prolonged periods of heat.

The research is based on hospital discharge records for people age 75 and older collected during five heat waves in one region of Italy in 2002 and 2003. After four days of soaring temperatures, hospital admissions for fluid and electrolyte balance disorders, acute kidney failure, and heat stroke rose by 16 percent for each additional day of heat. Admissions for respiratory disorders rose by 5 percent.

The study also showed the first and last heat waves of the summer are the most deadly, a finding contrary to conventional wisdom, which suggests the first heat wave is the one most likely to cause problems.

The investigators note these findings support previous studies showing a rise in the death rate, especially among the elderly, during heat waves. They believe their result showing hospital admissions rise most markedly after four days of heat supports the implementation of "heat health systems where alerts are based on duration of hot humid days."

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SOURCE: BMC Public Health, published online Aug. 8, 2007