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🇸🇪 Sweden /Health & Science

Heat poses greater risk to over-60s than previously feared, study finds

From Svenska Dagbladet · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Older adults face health risks from heat at lower temperatures than previously understood.
  • A new study suggests that with an aging population and more heatwaves, greater preparedness is needed.
  • Developing countries with poverty and poor cooling access face the greatest threat, but Europe will also be affected.

Older adults are more vulnerable to heat-related health issues than previously believed, according to a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health. Researchers from Stanford University found that individuals over 60 experience heat stress at temperatures 4.7 to 7.5 degrees Celsius lower than younger adults.

Older people are generally more vulnerable, as rising age means you sweat less, often have weaker hearts and also often have other underlying diseases.

— Study authorsExplaining the physiological reasons for increased heat vulnerability in older adults.

This vulnerability stems from age-related physiological changes, such as reduced sweating capacity, weaker heart function, and a higher prevalence of underlying health conditions. As the global population ages and heatwaves become more frequent due to climate change, these findings highlight an urgent need for increased preparedness.

The study simulated the impact of global warming on older populations. If the world warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, 22 percent of people over 60 could face dangerous heat for at least a month annually. Under a 3-degree warming scenario, vulnerable populations in regions like South Asia and the Persian Gulf could endure three months of dangerous heat daily.

If the world becomes 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-industrial times, 22 percent of all people over 60 in the world will be exposed to dangerous heat for at least one month each year.

— Study authorsQuantifying the potential impact of moderate global warming on the elderly.

Developing nations with significant poverty and limited access to cooling, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Niger, are identified as facing the most severe threats. However, Europe, predicted to experience rapid warming, will also see its population affected. The research underscores the critical need to address the health risks associated with rising temperatures for the elderly.

If warming reaches 3 degrees, the elderly in the worst-affected regions – South Asia and the Persian Gulf – can be exposed to dangerous heat around the clock for three consecutive months each year, according to the study.

— Study authorsProjecting the severe consequences of higher global warming scenarios on vulnerable populations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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