CLIMATE CHANGE
Extreme heat may lead to more hospitalizations among those living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), according to a new study from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study was published Feb. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Scott Delaney, research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health, was corresponding author.
The researchers used more than 3.3 million Medicare claims and daily temperature data between 2000 and 2018 to examine the relationship between extreme heat and hospitalization among adults living with ADRD. Their findings suggested that one day of extreme heat exposure raised ADRD hospitalization risk not just on the day of exposure but for three additional days—even if the heat subsides—and calculated that each day of extreme heat could contribute to at least 5,360 additional hospitalizations among adults with ADRD across the U.S.
