Extreme heat: How a promising new discovery could help older adults adapt
The year 2024 marked the first time that the global average temperature exceeded the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement. One direct consequence is more intense heat extremes, which already pose a significant threat to human health.
The article discusses a promising discovery that could help older adults adapt to extreme heat, which has become more frequent due to global warming. By 2080, cities like Montreal could experience between 37 and 54 days per year with temperatures exceeding 30°C (86°F), a significant increase from the 11 days per year seen between 1976 and 2005.
Older adults are particularly vulnerable to heat, with approximately 84% of the 181,446 heat-related deaths in Europe from 2022 to 2024 occurring in adults aged 75 and older. The article explains that older adults have a more pronounced increase in internal body temperature when exposed to heat and that their body's mechanisms for cooling down, such as cutaneous vasodilation and sweat production, become less effective with age.
The research suggests that the neural control of thermoregulation, which involves the brain sending nerve signals to trigger protective mechanisms, may also be impaired with age, contributing to older adults' increased susceptibility to heat-related health issues.
Brief written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
