The Effect of Heat and Cold Waves on the Mortality of Persons with Dementia in Germany
Autor: | Thomas Fritze |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
Cold effects
Geography Planning and Development lcsh:TJ807-830 lcsh:Renewable energy sources interaction effects Management Monitoring Policy and Law health claims data mortality with dementia 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine ddc:690 Risk of mortality Medicine Dementia 030212 general & internal medicine lcsh:Environmental sciences lcsh:GE1-350 Heat index Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment business.industry Proportional hazards model extreme temperatures lcsh:Environmental effects of industries and plants Cold wave medicine.disease Long-term care lcsh:TD194-195 Wind chill long-term care business residency 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Demography |
Zdroj: | Sustainability 12(9), 3664 (2020). doi:10.3390/su12093664 Sustainability Volume 12 Issue 9 Sustainability, Vol 12, Iss 3664, p 3664 (2020) |
Popis: | We investigated whether persons with dementia (PwD) are at particular risk of mortality when exposed to extreme temperatures and whether the temperature effect depends on long-term care (LTC) need and residency. German health claims data provide information on inpatient and outpatient sectors. Data from the German Meteorological Service were merged, and measures of immediate and delayed heat, cold, and normal temperature (Heat Index, Wind Chill Temperature Index) were calculated. Cox models were applied to explore the interaction of temperature, dementia, and LTC, as well as residency. Immediate and delayed effects of heat and cold were tested as compared to normal temperatures. Models were adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, urban/rural living, and summer/winter climate zones. The 182,384 persons aged ≥65 contributed 1,084,111 person-years and 49,040 deaths between 2004 and 2010. At normal temperatures, PwD had a 37% (p-value < 0.001) increased mortality risk compared to persons without dementia (PwoD). Immediate heat effects further increased this effect by 11% (p = 0.031) no immediate heat effect existed for PwoD. The immediate heat effect was even greater for PwD suffering from severe or extreme physical impairment and for those living in private households and nursing homes. Immediate and delayed cold effects increased mortality independent of dementia. Care level and type of residency did not modify this effect among PwD. PwD revealed an increased vulnerability to immediate heat effects. Cold waves were risk factors for both groups. LTC need appeared to be an important intervening factor. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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