Effects of heat waves

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https://thinc.blog/2024/07/26/dumb-and- ... n-on-heat/

Bloomberg:
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Bloomberg:

By now, most of us understand that extreme heat is bad for our health, making our hearts, lungs, kidneys and other organs work much harder. But too often we overlook the quieter, less obvious toll heat takes on another vital organ: our brain.

Extreme heat doesn’t just make us cranky and uncomfortable, it can make it harder to think clearly and be productive at work. It also worsens our mental health, exacerbating common mood disorders like anxiety and depression as well as rarer conditions like schizophrenia and self-harming. With each warming year, that issue deserves more time and attention.

Typically, a part of our brain called the hypothalamus keeps our body at its natural internal temperature (for most, that’s around 98.6F). But the human brain only has so much energy to devote to that, explains Kim Meidenbauer, a social, cognitive, and environmental neuroscientist at Washington State University. On an oppressively hot day, “one of the first things that seems to go is higher cognitive functioning,” she says, making it harder to pay attention and impairing working memory (humans’ ability to process and keep track of information in real time).

For some, that cost is high. The elderly, young children, people taking certain medicines for schizophrenia or depression, and those with certain medical conditions or disabilities have a harder time thermoregulating.

One analysis of commercial health insurance claims over the course of a decade linked hotter days to an increase in emergency room visits associated with a broad array of mental health conditions. The rate of ER visits was higher in northern parts of the US, suggesting the need for cities in those areas to better adapt their infrastructure to help people when temperatures soar, says Amruta Nori-Sarma, an assistant professor in the Environmental Health Department at Boston University School of Public Health, who led the work. Understanding what is driving those visits — and who is at most risk — is critical for preparation and prevention.

Heat waves have also been linked to a higher risk of suicidality. In its Climate Resilience Review released this month, London officials noted that the risk of suicide is twice as high in the UK when the temperature is 32 C versus 22 C (90 F versus 72 F).

And people with schizophrenia are disproportionately at risk of succumbing to the effects of extreme heat. Some 8% of the deathsthat occurred during the 2021 heat dome in British Columbia were among people with schizophrenia, a group that comprises less than 1% of the population there. Liv Yoon, a sociologist at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, has been trying to diagnose the complex causes of those deaths. Multiple factors are at work, including both physiological deficits and social vulnerabilities, she says. A symptom of schizophrenia is an unawareness of one’s bodily status — it’s hard to tell how hot or cold you are. Moreover, people with schizophrenia are often taking medication that can compromise the body’s ability to thermoregulate.

Guardian:

Jordan Moore, a spokesperson for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, said there has been a “significant increase in heat-related emergencies” in the past month. Meanwhile in Henderson, a Clark county city south-east of Las Vegas, heat-related emergencies are up 53%, according to the deputy fire chief Scott Vivier.

Populations including elderly people, unhoused people, those with underlying health conditions, and children are among the most at-risk. But this year the department is also getting numerous calls from people on the job.

“Delivery drivers, warehouse operators, our construction trades – basically anyone who has to work outside – we have seen emergencies from them and people with regular medical emergencies and during a normal day the heat causes them to succumb,” Vivier said. Heat-related complaints filed with the Nevada occupational safety and health administration (Osha) jumped 172% last July compared with a year earlier.

Vivier’s department is among the first in the region to use a new tool called the polar pod, which enables emergency responders to pack someone in ice and water while they transport them to the hospital. They have even trained to use the pods to revive overheated pets, Vivier added.

But Vivier is still worried about what the future will bring. “Heat is the No 1 weather-related cause of death for people around the world,” he said. “It’s a major, major issue we should all be concerned about.”