A new study published in Lancet Neurology has found that extreme temperatures due to climate change may increase hospitalizations and deaths related to health issues such as dementia, depression, and epilepsy. The researchers examined nervous system conditions, including dementia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, stroke, and migraine, as well as psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. They found that the risk of mortality from stroke and dementia increases with higher temperatures, and both extreme hot and cold temperatures are associated with a higher mortality risk for many mental health disorders.
The study also revealed that as temperatures rise, hospitalizations related to dementia, migraines, mental health disorders, and multiple sclerosis also increase. Dementia patients are particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme temperatures and severe weather events due to cognitive impairment that limits their ability to adapt to environmental changes. Factors such as pollution, increased humidity, and reduced sunshine exposure were identified as impacting mental health disorders, while neurological disorders and their treatments can make it harder for the body to adjust to changing temperatures.
To manage these effects of climate change, the study suggests that patients with these disorders may need to adopt new behaviors, such as staying hydrated, avoiding exercise in hot weather, and using additional treatments. In addition to mental health and neurological disorders, climate change has also been linked to worsened respiratory issues, heart disease, and an increased risk of diseases such as West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and water- and food-borne illnesses. Extreme weather events, which are on the rise due to climate change, can lead to increased health effects, such as death, asthma, and frostbite.
Different regions of the country are affected differently by climate change, with the Midwest facing the largest increase in extreme temperature-related premature deaths and the Southeast at the greatest risk of mosquito-related illnesses due to warmer temperatures boosting mosquito populations. Climate change has also been associated with a new disorder called “climate anxiety,” which mainly affects children and young adults who fear the impacts of climate change on the world. The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that governments have a responsibility to address climate change and its negative impacts on their citizens, following a lawsuit filed by older Swiss women who argued that Switzerland failed to protect them from the effects of climate change, such as heat waves. The court criticized Switzerland for not cutting its greenhouse gas emissions and ordered them to pay legal fees to the group of women.
