Heat Exposure and Health Impacts in North Carolina
Heat Exposure and Health Impacts in North Carolina
复制标题
北卡罗来纳州的高温暴露和健康影响
作者：
M. Sugg
人们越来越关注炎热天气对健康的不利影响。在美国，高温每年造成的死亡人数比任何其他与天气相关的灾难都要多，每年造成数百人死亡[1]。长时间暴露在高温下会导致与热有关的疾病，如热晕厥、热衰竭、头部水肿、热痉挛，最严重的情况下会导致死亡率很高的中暑。随着气候变化导致气温预计上升，高温对健康的影响可能会增加[2]。治疗与热有关的疾病的正确方法包括基本补水或搬到凉爽的地方[3]。尽管公共卫生教育和预防热暴露的有针对性的热健康干预措施有助于减轻对健康的不利影响，但许多北卡罗来纳州居民都患有与热有关的疾病。每年有近 2,000 例因热相关疾病而到急诊室就诊的患者，可能还有更多未确诊的病例 [4]。北卡罗来纳州是研究热健康的理想地点，因为它位于亚热带气候，炎热潮湿。此外，北卡罗来纳州还有一个名为 NC DETECT（北卡罗来纳州疾病事件跟踪和流行病学收集工具）的独特系统，这是一种症状监测工具，可以收集急诊科就诊的信息，从而可以在全州范围内分析与高温相关的疾病，这些疾病通常很严重，需要立即就医。使用 NC DETECT 进行的研究发现，大多数与高温相关的疾病发生在气候正常的夏季条件下，而不是极端高温事件期间。事实上，在检查急诊科就诊时，拒绝了……
There is increasing concern over the adverse health effects associated with hot weather. In the United States, heat kills more people annually than any other weather-related disaster, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year [1]. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can result in heat-related illnesses, such as heat syncope, heat exhaustion, head edema, heat cramps, and in the most severe cases, heat stroke, which has a very high mortality rate. The health effects from heat are likely to increase as temperatures are projected to rise due to climate change [2]. Proper ways to treat heat-related illnesses include basic hydration or relocating to a cooler location [3]. Although public health education and targeted heat-health interventions to prevent heat exposure can help mitigate adverse health effects, many North Carolina residents experience heat-related illnesses. There are nearly 2,000 annual emergency department visits related to heat-related illnesses, and likely many more cases that are undiagnosed [4]. North Carolina is an ideal location to study heat health, as it is located in a subtropical climate with hot and humid conditions. Moreover, North Carolina has a unique system called NC DETECT (North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool), a syndromic surveillance tool that collects information on emergency department visits, allowing for statewide analysis of heat-related illnesses, which are often acute and require immediate medical care. Research using NC DETECT has found that most heat-related illness occurs during climatologically normal summer conditions, rather than extreme heat events. In fact, when examining emergency department visits, declines…