Heat-related illnesses begin to occur at moderate heat-index values, which are below the alert ranges used by the National Weather Service in some regions in the United States, according to a study. Heat alert systems have been shown to reduce risks of heat exposure. Ambarish Vaidyanathan and colleagues conducted comprehensive multistate analyses exploring the relationship between heat index, a metric that combines the effect of humidity and temperature, and various health outcomes, including cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetic, renal, and fluid and electrolyte illnesses. The authors evaluated approximately 50 million inpatient hospitalization records during the summer months from 2003 to 2012. The assessment covered 1,617 counties in 22 states across nine US climate regions, accounting for 55.1% of the total US population. In warm regions, such as the southern United States, heat-index ranges associated with adverse health impacts overlapped with those used for issuing alerts during the same time period. However, in colder regions, a large proportion of negative health effects tended to occur at moderate heat-index ranges that are lower than those used for triggering alerts. According to the authors, the findings highlight opportunities for using local epidemiological data to refine heat-alert criteria and potentially reduce the disease burden associated with extreme heat.
Article #18-06393: "Assessment of extreme heat and hospitalizations to inform early warning systems," by Ambarish Vaidyanathan et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ambarish Vaidyanathan, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; tel: 770-488-3997; e-mail: dvq3@cdc.gov
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