Barcelona We are increasingly aware of the effects that climate change has on our health. One day it is linked to the aggravation of viruses that can affect humans and the next day to pollution with a reduction in life expectancy similar to smoking. Now a study has determined that global warming could increase mortality among patients hospitalized for respiratory illnesses during the summer.
A team of researchers from the Global Health Institute of Barcelona (Isglobal) analyzed the relationship between ambient temperature and hospital mortality from respiratory diseases in Barcelona and Madrid between 2006 and 2019. They concluded that the highest incidence of hospital mortality occurred during the summer months, always after a period of high temperatures. According to the study, these temperatures, the result of global warming, were responsible for 22.1% of all fatal hospitalizations for respiratory diseases in Barcelona and 16% in Madrid.
The study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe details that there are more hospital admissions for these conditions in the winter, but on the other hand, more mortality is recorded in the summer. The effects of heat were especially noted in acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis, pneumonia and respiratory failure.
To calculate the association between ambient temperature and hospital mortality, the team overlaid data on daily hospitalizations, meteorology (temperature and relative humidity) and air pollutants (O3, PM2.5, PM10 and NO2). The study found no significant relationship between relative humidity or air pollutants with mortality in patients admitted for respiratory disease.
The researchers believe that these results show the need to adapt to climate change in hospitals. Given that high temperatures contributed to an increased risk of mortality in patients hospitalized for respiratory diseases, it would be necessary to adapt the healthcare system to summer temperatures. On the other hand, the researchers believe that hospitals are better prepared to deal with the winter peaks of respiratory diseases.
Women, more vulnerable to heat
According to the researchers, the study also showed that women are more vulnerable to high temperatures than men. They point out that this is probably due to the fact that women have a higher threshold above which sweating mechanisms are activated and less production than men, and this translates into less heat loss through evaporation.
2023-11-07 08:43:01
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