Hyperthermia Risk Factors

Hyperthermia risk factors in the elderly

heat_death About 702people die each year in the United States from avoidable exposure to extreme heat. On average, 67,512 emergency room visits with an average of 9235 hospitalizations occur annually due to heat exposure. Individuals 65 years of age or older suffer many of these heat-related deaths. Click graphic to enlarge.

In 2018, natural heat exposure was associated with 726 deaths among males and 282 deaths among females. Among males, the highest number of heat-related deaths was within those aged 55–64 years (150) and among females within those aged 65–74 years (58). The lowest numbers were for males (four) and females (two) aged 5–14 years. Approximately 72% of heat-related deaths were among males.

It is important to note that the ambient temperature does not have to reach 100 degrees for elders to be at risk of hyperthermia. External heat gain occurs whenever a person is exposed to an environmental temperature which is greater than the individual's ability to dissipate. Elders often have a decreased ability to dissipate heat. The National Institutes on Aging (n.d.) has published factors that increase the risk of hyperthermia in the elderly. Those factors include:

Health problems such as cardiovascular, lung, or kidney disease
Changes in skin caused by normal aging
Any illness that causes weakness or results in a fever
Taking drugs such as diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers, and some heart and high blood pressure medicines that may make it harder for the body to cool itself
Being on several prescription drugs at the same time
Having obesity, overweight, or underweight
Drinking alcoholic beverages
Living in places without air conditioning or fans
Becoming dehydrated (NIA, n.d.)

Many commonly prescribed drugs can increase heat retention or interfere with an elder's ability to dissipate heat.

Alcohol - alters awareness of heat
Anticholingergics inhibit sweating. They are commonly used to treat urinary dysfunction, peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome or Parkinson’s disease.
Antihistamines - inhibits sweating
Diuretics - hypovolemia, dehydration can increase heat storage by impairing sweating and reduced skin blood flow.
Beta-blockers - impair cutaneous blood flow by reducing cardiovascular response.

Extreme heat events have long threatened public health in the United States. The CDC Heat & Health Tracker provides local heat and health information so communities can better prepare for and respond to extreme heat events. Use the search on the right to explore how extreme heat affects your county, populations who are at risk, and response resources. (CDC 2023)

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Hypovolemia and dehydration can increase the elderly person's risk of hyperthermia.

Reference

Center for Disease Control (CDC 2023) Heat and Health Tracker accessed https://ephtracking.cdc.gov/Applications/heatTracker/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Hot Weather Safety for Older Adults. National Institute on Aging (NIA). Reviewed 2022. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/hot-weather-safety-older-adults#heat