Heat Waves: A Growing Threat to Neurodegenerative Disease Patients

Neurodegenerative disease patients face a greater risk during heat waves, making proactive measures essential to safeguard them.

Neurodegenerative symptoms get worse during hotter days, warns a new study.

As 2024 is on track to conclude as the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous peak in 2023, a UCLA Health researcher highlights that individuals with neurodegenerative diseases will be particularly susceptible to intensifying heat waves due to an elevated risk of heat-related complications.

Top Summer Health Tips for Elderly People to Beat the Heat
Save the elderly people from adverse effects of summer heat in simple ways. Stay indoors in cooled spaces as much as possible. Keeping hydrated on a regular basis is the most important preventative measure.

‘Did You Know?
Living in areas with little green space makes you three times more likely to die from heat. #heatwaves #heat_relateddeaths #greenspace #medindia’

Heat Waves and Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Deadly Combination

In a commentary published in JAMA Neurology, Dr. Indu Subramanian said that doctors have a duty to strengthen the understanding of heat-related impacts on people living with diseases such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease and to develop updated solutions to protect these vulnerable patients in a warming world ().

“This editorial makes clear that these deaths are preventable, and doctors can make a difference,” Subramanian said.

While more frequent and severe heat waves pose health risks to all people experiencing them, their impacts can be exacerbating among people with neurodegenerative disease due to symptoms or treatments associated with them, Subramanian said.

How To Keep Cool During A Heat Wave
Drink water throughout the day, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid drinks containing caffeine, sugar or alcohol, as these contribute to dehydration in hot weather

Rising Temperatures Make Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms Worse

Heat has been shown to worsen neurodegenerative disease symptoms. In Parkinson’s disease, symptoms such as malfunctioning autonomic nervous system can increase the risk of dehydration, heat stroke and fainting caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other conditions can also compromise sweating, which would only worsen especially in areas with high humidity. Subramanian said worsening symptoms can impair a person’s ability to perform regular activities such as taking medication, turning on air conditioners, rehydrating or taking a cold shower to keep cool.

Some medications that treat these diseases, such as anticholinergics and tricyclics, can inhibit functions such as sweating and blood flow to the skin that help to passively cool the body.

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Hotter Days, Greater Dangers

One study in 2020 led by the University of Malta found statistically significant increases of more than 10% for both Parkinson’s disease-related mortality and hospital admissions at temperatures of only 1 degree Fahrenheit over a threshold of 93 degrees Fahrenheit. A separate study in 2019 from the Queensland University of Technology that was cited by Subramanian found similar trends for Alzheimer’s disease patients.

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Green Spaces, Cooler Lives: Preventing Heat-Related Deaths

The Queensland University of Technology study also found an association between heat-related mortality and the amount of green space near a person’s residence. Green space works to prevent heat islands by providing shade, deflecting radiation and releasing moisture. The study found people living near low amounts of green space had three times the risk of heat-related mortality.

As the U.S. population of older residents increases, so has the number of people living with neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. Thermoregularity, the ability to maintain body temperature, is often compromised among older people. Heat-related complications are also higher for men, though the reason for this increased risk is still unclear, Subramanian said. The increasing social isolation among older adults can also increase risk of heat-related issues because of lack of early detection.

“I was surprised how many patients view us docs or health care providers as their only touch point with the world outside their house,” Subramanian said.

To address these many issues, Subramanian states that medical providers and institutions must establish best-practice guidelines and tie these quality measures to reimbursement and certification. One example would be to have doctors regularly screen people with neurodegenerative disease for social isolation and to connect them to resources. The increased utilization of telemedicine can also be used to have medical providers check in on high-risk patients and proactively contact them during high temperature periods, Subramanian said. Doctors can take early steps by providing early handouts to patients with information and resources.

Parkinson’s and Dementia Patients at Risk During Heat Waves

“People with Parkinson’s disease and dementias are at risk for dying in heat waves and we can be proactive about preventing this,” Subramanian said.

References:

Heatwaves and Neurodegenerative Disease - (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2827792)

Source-Eurekalert