Impacts of Hot and Cold Spells for Non-communicable Diseases

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Biometeorology and Bioclimatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 June 2022) | Viewed by 8003

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Public health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: climate; cardiovascular diseases; cold spells; hot spell

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, LT-44191 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: biostatistics; associations between space weather and human health; effects of weather and air pollution on human health; environment; epidemiology
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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: population and cohort-based studies; non-communicable disease epidemiology; metabolic diseases epidemiology; cardiovascular disease risk factors; primary and secondary prevention; environmental pollution and health; alcohol and drug abuse; children’s environment and health; psychosocial factors of the work environment; nutrition and health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The environment has a major impact on human beings. Extreme environmental conditions such as hot or cold temperatures can have huge health impacts. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are very sensitive to environmental conditions. Natural and anthropogenic disasters can cause the collapse of health infrastructure through a combination of a marked increase in demand due to injuries, diseases, and increased stress levels and transport disasters that follows such disasters. Extreme weather events and disasters are predicted to increase in the course of the ongoing climate change. Therefore, impacts on NCDs are very likely to increase, which raises the importance of the hitherto paucity of knowledge about this research area.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase the new results of associations between weather and various aspects of human health in direct and indirect ways. The main topics of this Issue are:

(1) the impact of cold spells on humans,

(2) the impact of hot spells on humans,

(3) the complex effect of hot or cold spells and other environmental phenomena (e.g., atmospheric pressure, seasonality, air pollution, and teleconnection patterns) on the risk of adverse health events or fluctuations in the physiological variables in humans in different climate zones, and

(4) the prognosis of hot and cold spells for the future.      

Dr. Vidmantas Vaičiulis
Prof. Dr. Jonė Venclovienė
Prof. Dr. Ričardas Radišauskas
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • meteorology
  • climate
  • non-communicable diseases
  • cold spells
  • hot spells

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 1271 KiB  
Article
Mortality Sensitivity of Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular, and Respiratory Diseases to Warm Season Climate in Japanese Cities
by Yukitaka Ohashi, Akari Miyata and Tomohiko Ihara
Atmosphere 2021, 12(12), 1546; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12121546 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2365
Abstract
We investigated decadal (2010–2019) cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory mortality sensitivity to annual warm temperatures in major Japanese cities: Sapporo, Tokyo (23 wards), and Osaka. The summer mortalities (June–August) increased with the monthly mean temperature for acute myocardial infarction, other acute ischemic heart diseases, [...] Read more.
We investigated decadal (2010–2019) cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory mortality sensitivity to annual warm temperatures in major Japanese cities: Sapporo, Tokyo (23 wards), and Osaka. The summer mortalities (June–August) increased with the monthly mean temperature for acute myocardial infarction, other acute ischemic heart diseases, cerebral infarction, and pneumonia in the three cities. Monthly mean temperatures were an indicator of these disease mortalities in Japan. However, similar responses were not found for cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure (excluding Sapporo), subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intracerebral hemorrhage. The decadal sensitivities and risk ratios between the maximum and minimum monthly mean temperatures were calculated using a linear regression model. In Sapporo, Tokyo, and Osaka, for example, the analyses of acute myocardial infarction showed summer positive responses of 0.19–0.25, 0.13–0.18, and 0.12–0.30, respectively, as the mortality rate (per 100,000 population) per 1 °C of monthly mean temperature, which estimated increased risks (between the coolest and hottest months) of 37–65% in Sapporo, 31–42% in Tokyo, and 35–39% in Osaka. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Hot and Cold Spells for Non-communicable Diseases)
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Review

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10 pages, 552 KiB  
Review
Climate Change, Obesity, and COVID-19—Global Crises with Catastrophic Consequences. Is This the Future?
by Sarah Cuschieri, Elizabeth Grech and Andrea Cuschieri
Atmosphere 2021, 12(10), 1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12101292 - 3 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4508
Abstract
Climate change and obesity were considered threats to our planet long before the onset of COVID-19. The recent pandemic has enhanced the global burden of both pre-existing crises. The aim of this narrative review is to explore the interaction between the three concurrent [...] Read more.
Climate change and obesity were considered threats to our planet long before the onset of COVID-19. The recent pandemic has enhanced the global burden of both pre-existing crises. The aim of this narrative review is to explore the interaction between the three concurrent crises and the future of our planet should they not be dealt with accordingly. A PubMed and Google Scholar literature search was performed using different combinations of search strategies and using the keywords “obesity”, “climate/temperature change”, “cold/hot temperatures”, and “COVID-19”. High global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions link obesity and climate change as a result of the interplay between biological and behavioural factors. COVID-19 mitigation measures have indirectly impacted obesity and GHG emissions through the shift in dietary habits, restricted mobility, the impact on healthcare services, and enhanced psychological stress. Furthermore, COVID-19 has a more detrimental effect if acquired by an obese individual, with a higher chance of hospitalization and mechanical ventilation. This leads to higher GHG emissions and negative repercussions on the climate. A tri-directional relationship exists between obesity, climate change, and COVID-19. Various factors contribute to this relationship, but unless urgent global integrated action plans are implemented that target all three calamities, and not just COVID-19, a devastating and unsustainable future may ensue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Hot and Cold Spells for Non-communicable Diseases)
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