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An analysis of the impact of heat and cold on mortality in Mexico has identified the age groups most affected by these phenomena.
The impact of extreme temperatures on the health of different age groups remains an urgent problem for research, especially in the context of climate change. According to a study by Jeffrey Shrader of Columbia University and his colleagues, which covers the period from 1998 to 2019, the highest number of heat-related deaths in Mexico was recorded among young people aged 18-35. As the authors note in an article published in the journal Science Advances, "three-quarters of heat-related deaths and 87 percent of years of life lost were in people under 35."
On average, Mexico recorded about 3300 heat-related deaths per year. The groups of children under the age of five and young people in the age range of 18–35 turned out to be the most vulnerable. At the same time, the lowest mortality from heat was observed among people aged 50–70 years. These data emphasize the heterogeneity of heat exposure depending on age characteristics, which, according to scientists, may be related to adaptive physiological mechanisms in older age groups.
The opposite pattern was observed with regard to mortality from the cold. According to the data, 98 percent of deaths caused by cold temperatures occurred among people over the age of 35, with the majority of people over 70 years old. In young individuals, mortality at low temperatures was minimal, especially at wet bulb temperatures around 13 °C. This emphasizes that the optimal climatic conditions for different age groups can differ significantly.
The study points to the importance of developing age-oriented adaptation measures to extreme temperatures. Given that young people are more at risk from heat, while older people suffer from cold, appropriate programs should be created that take these demographics into account.
- The study revealed the limits of human survival at extreme temperatures: Scientists have studied the effects of extreme heat on the human body, taking into account factors such as humidity, age and activity level.
- Places on the planet where it will soon be impossible to live due to heat are named: Rising average temperatures may make some regions of the Earth uninhabitable due to extreme heat, leading to a significant increase in mortality.
