According to a recent study published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, extreme temperature changes due to climate change may be a cause in approximately 500,000 fatalities and extra cases of stroke-related disability worldwide.

According to a statement from the academy, “non-optimal temperatures, those above or below temperatures associated with the lowest death rates, were increasingly linked to death and disability due to stroke.” The study, which examined data spanning three decades, did not prove that climate change causes stroke directly, but it did demonstrate a correlation.

According to research author Quan Cheng of Xiangya Hospital Central South University in Changsha, China, “dramatic temperature changes in recent years have affected human health and caused widespread concern.” According to research,  “Our study found that these changing temperatures may increase the burden of stroke worldwide, especially in older populations and areas with more health care disparities.”

Heat was linked to stroke as well, even though cold temperatures were linked to the highest number of stroke deaths. Furthermore, the academy stated that areas with high temperatures should anticipate a rise in stroke-related fatalities.

Increased temperatures were the main focus of the phrase “global warming,” but since temperature extremes happen on both ends of the thermometer, climate change is becoming more popular.

It should come as no surprise that the processes behind the risk of stroke in hot and cold weather differ significantly. “With lower temperatures, a person’s blood vessels can constrict, increasing blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke,” academy states that. “Higher temperatures may cause dehydration, affecting cholesterol levels and resulting in slower blood flow, factors that can also lead to stroke.”

Examine the Details

The study examined health records from 204 countries and territories over three decades to determine the number of stroke deaths and stroke-related disabilities caused by temperatures outside of the ideal range. Age and gender were taken into consideration when they “divided the data to look at different regions, countries and territories.”

Of the 521,031 stroke deaths attributed to temperature in 2019, 474,002 were related to low temperatures, and the remaining deaths were related to high temperatures. The study found that strokes linked to temperature changes claimed the lives of more males than women.

The study also reported 9.4 million “disability-adjusted life years” from strokes that may have been caused by changes in body temperature. The amount of years robbed by “premature death and years lived with illness” was the definition given.

Risks Associated with Severe Weather

According to a Deseret News study, an estimated 45 million Americans experienced unusually high weather last summer. Texas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas were among the states on the list. At the time, USA Today referred to it as a “heat dome.”

Deseret News examined why weather is particularly harsh for older individuals in 2021, just after severe cold temperatures blanketed a significant portion of the nation. Temperatures can be fatally high or low.

“Extreme heat or cold is no joke for older people, including older workers. And they may be in medical crisis before they even recognize it,” according to Dr. Ronda McCarthy, an expert in environmental and occupational exposure near Waco and a member of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health steering committee, who was quoted in the story.

How severe weather kills senior citizens and how to protect those you love
The National Institute on Aging states that although older folks lose heat more quickly than younger adults, they may not feel cold. Furthermore, extreme heat might be fatal. Anybody can be at risk from both. What defines an extreme difference is the age-based difference. When the temperature drops below 70 degrees, older folks may get dangerously overheated. That differs depending on the person.

According to a New England Journal of Medicine study, cold weather is a contributing factor in at least 1,500 deaths in the United States each year.

Although stroke can occasionally be the outcome, there are other possible causes. For example, older people’s internal thermostat may not function as well as it formerly did. Additionally, medication that affects temperature control may be taken by older persons. Furthermore, cardiac disease is more common in older persons than in younger adults, and severe weather can exacerbate it by increasing the risk of stroke.