The impact of heatwaves on the incidence of heatstroke in the elderly and children: An environmental health epidemiological study

Abstract

Background: The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that heatwaves have increased over the past 50 years. Heatstroke is a life-threatening condition defined by a failure in heat dissipation, resulting in a body core temperature of more than 40 °C (104 °F) and associated with neurological disorders, ranging from mild changes in mental status to coma. Methods: This study uses the systematic literature review (SLR) method and follows the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The review is structured using the PECO framework based on four main components: participants (human), exposure (heatwave), comparator (elderly and children) and the outcomes (heatstroke). Findings: Exposure to heatwaves has been shown to significantly affect vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children, where the elderly group is the most affected due to various factors, including organ dysfunction and congenital diseases that worsen the situation. Conclusion: In the future, it is necessary to strengthen mitigation effort related to extreme weather forecasts, enabling communities to adjust their outdoor activities. Novelty/Originality of this article: The novelty of this article is to describe how the heatstroke impact the vulnerable group of elderly and children.