Heatwaves Increase Emergency Admissions to Swiss Hospitals

Numerous studies have shown that heat increases mortality rates.^1,2 In Switzerland, for example, the hot summer of 2015 caused around 800 additional deaths.³ Only a few studies, however, have investigated the effects of heatwaves on morbidity and hospital admissions. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) recently conducted a detailed analysis of emergency hospital admissions in Switzerland during the three heatwaves between June and August 2015 in a study commissioned by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). First heatwave has the worst impact The study, which was published today in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health , reveals that the heatwave of 2015 resulted in over 2,700 additional emergency hospital admissions. The most vulnerable populations are the elderly and residents of Switzerland's warmest regions: Ticino and Lake Geneva. "The data from this and other studies reveal that the first heatwave of a summer has a pronounced impact on cases of death and disease," said Martina Ragettli, scientist at Swiss TPH and main author of the study. "The effect is exacerbated if the heatwave takes place in early summer." The most common causes of the additional emergency hospital admissions were infectious diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system and diseases of the digestive system, as well as influenza and pneumonia. "These causes are surprising since it is cardiovascular and respiratory diseases which play leading roles in heat-related deaths," says Ragettli.