Medical experts pointed out after investigation that as summer is getting hotter, high temperatures are becoming more frequent, leading to an increasing number of children seeking emergency care at hospitals due to heat-related illnesses.
According to a report by the medical news website Medicalxpress on Monday, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas recently published a latest research in the Academic Pediatrics journal. The study showed that nearly one-fifth of children seeking care for heat-related illnesses at hospitals had to be hospitalized for further treatment.
The research, based on a review of emergency department (ED) visits at Children’s Health in Dallas and Plano from May to September between 2012 and 2023, revealed that the proportion of children seeking care for heat-related illnesses increased by 170% of total emergency cases, correlating this rise with hotter weather.
Dr. Andrew Yu, pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who led the study, stated, “With extreme summer temperatures becoming more frequent, we have seen an increase in the number of children seeking care for heat-related illnesses.”
Heat-related illnesses include mild heat cramps and fainting, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and rhabdomyolysis – a severe and potentially fatal condition caused by muscle breakdown due to prolonged exertion in extreme high temperatures.
The research found that children with rhabdomyolysis had a 63% chance of needing hospitalization.
Most previous studies have focused on adults or high school athletes, leaving little information on how high temperatures might impact the pediatric population more broadly.
In fact, children are more susceptible to the effects of high temperatures due to physiological and behavioral factors. Their body surface area is relatively larger compared to weight, they sweat less, and often struggle to recognize when they need to rest or hydrate.
To assess the risks posed by hot climates to children, researchers reviewed over 2 million emergency department visit records, with over 500 cases related to excessive heat, heat and light exposure, and rhabdomyolysis.
The study also concluded that children living in poorer communities, with less access to quality schools, parks and playgrounds, clean air, healthy food, medical services, and safe housing, were more severely affected by hot weather conditions.