IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 2119: Impact of Extremely Hot Days on Emergency Department Visits for Cardiovascular Disease among Older Adults in New York State

This study examined how extremely hot days affected CVD-related emergency department (ED) visits among older adults from 2005–2013 in New York State. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used to assess the heat–CVD association in summer and transitional months (April–May and September–October). Daily mean temperature >95th percentile of regional monthly mean temperature was defined as an extremely hot day. Extremely hot days were found to be significantly associated with increased risk of CVD-related ED visits at lag day 5 (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01–1.04) and lag day 6 (OR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00–1.03) among older adults in summer after controlling for PM2.5 concentration, relative humidity, and barometric pressure. Specifically, there was a 7% increased risk of ischemic heart disease on the day of extreme heat, and increased risks of hypertension (4%) and cardiac dysrhythmias (6%) occurred on lag days 5 and 6, respectively. We also observed large geographic variations in the heat–CVD associations.
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research