Researchers from the NOVA National School of Public Health and the CoLAB + ATLANTIC Center have published an unprecedented article in the renowned Lancet Planetary Health on the impact of heat waves on hospital admissions in Portugal.
The data, collected between 2000 and 2018, cross-referenced more than 12 million hospitalizations throughout mainland Portugal with daily air temperature data. This is the first study, with no known precedent in scientific literature, to analyze the reasons for hospital admission.
The results indicate that during the period analyzed, heatwave days increased hospital admissions by 18.9% in Portugal, and this increase was seen in all age groups, with children being the most affected.
The article shows that the impact of heatwaves is so marked that it is responsible for an increase in admissions for all causes of illness: on average, on heatwave days, admissions increase by 34% for burns, 27% for multiple trauma, 25% for infectious diseases, 25% for endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, 23% for mental illnesses, 22% for diseases of the respiratory system and 16% for diseases of the circulatory system, among others.
Climate change represents one of the most urgent global challenges of the 21st century, with 2023 being the hottest year ever recorded. The occurrence of extreme weather events is one of today’s biggest concerns, particularly heatwaves, which are expected to increase in frequency, intensity and duration over the coming decades. Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world – twice as fast as the planetary average.
Although early access to health care and increased public awareness are essential elements in preventing the adverse effects of heatwaves, the scarcity of data quantifying this impact makes it difficult for policymakers to raise awareness and allocate resources to this cause.
This study thus serves as a clear warning about the dangers of heatwaves and the urgent need for actions aimed at mitigating their impact on public health in Portugal. The researchers believe that the results of this work should be used to promote the adaptation of healthcare in Portugal to an increasingly frequent, intense and long-lasting phenomenon, a consequence of the current climate change scenario.
Check the publication: “Effect of heatwaves on daily hospital admissions in Portugal, 2000–18”