Health Impacts of Cold Weather

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While some researchers identify a linear relationship between exposure to cold and a one degree change in temperature, or an interquartile change in temperature, others use the lowest percentiles of temperature to establish the impacts of extreme cold. These patterns suggest that hypothermia deaths in Canada are dominated by deaths in homeless populations. For example, older adults who were hospitalized for hypothermia were more likely to be located indoors (e. Windy and wet conditions can make it feel colder than it actually is. Figure 1 shows that on average, temperatures between December and March are between -5 ºC and -10 ºC in Toronto. Surveillance in New York City found that hypothermia is a key risk for the unsheltered homeless population (Gambatese et al, 2013), and a review of hospital admissions for hypothermia in Paris found that 62% of people admitted were homeless (Rouquette et al 2011). Pain associated with the chronic pelvic pain syndrome is strongly related to the ambient temperature. Cardiovascular mortality during heat and cold events: determinants of regional vulnerability in Taiwan. Once you have estimated the wind speed and you know the temperature outside, you can estimate the wind chill by referring to the numerical chart below. Diurnal temperature range and childhood asthma: a time-series study. -48 to -54 Very High risk: exposed skin can freeze in 2 to 5 1 minutes Very High Risk of frostbite: Check face and extremities frequently for numbness or whiteness. The impact of temperature on mortality in Tianjin, China: a case-crossover design with a distributed lag nonlinear model. gov/pmc/articles/PMC3417546/ 13 Brändström H et al. There has also been some suggestion that large swings in temperature may lead to more emergency department admissions for heart failure (Qiu, 2013) and for childhood asthma (Xu, 2013). However, the level of humidity in the air does not affect the sensation of cold (Osczevski and Bluestein, 2002). A body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. Impact of extreme temperature on hospital admission in Shanghai, China. As well, many of the chronic problems faced by homeless people, including inadequate clothing, malnutrition, and underlying infection, increase the risk of developing and dying from hypothermia (O’Connell et al, 2004). Reasons why vulnerable adults may have difficulty keeping warm included cost of fuel for heating, limited knowledge and awareness about the potential impacts of cold exposure, and difficulties associated with technology (Tod, 2012). The phenomenon affects Canada too: a study of 15 Canadian cities suggests that Canadians experience greater impact on mortality from cold than they do from heat (Martin et al, 2011)