Associations Between Temperature and Location of Injury or Condition Among Heat‐Related Emergency Department Visits

High ambient temperature poses significant health risk globally. However, the relative importance of different exposure pathways leading to health risks remains unclear. For 9 US states during 2016-2018, ED visit records for heat exhaustion and heat stroke (HEAT), fluid and electrolyte imbalance (FEI), volume depletion (VD), and acute kidney injury (AKI) were identified via diagnosis codes. Co-diagnosed Y92 subcodes (Y codes) were used to categorize the patient's location at the time of injury or condition. Logistic regressions were used to estimate nonlinear associations between same-day temperature and Y codes for 11 non-residential versus residential locations among heat-related ED visits, including stratified analyses by patient age, race, and ethnicity. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated between the 95th versus 50th percentile of temperature. Overall, higher temperature was associated with increased risks of ED visits with Y codes for non-residential locations. HEAT ED visits were more likely to have Y codes for streets compared to residential locations (OR:1.68, 95% CI: 1.12-2.51). Similarly, VD visits were more likely to have Y codes for industrial area (OR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.98-3.63), farms (OR:7.66, 95% CI: 4.05-14.50), recreation areas (OR:2.25, 95% CI: 1.78-2.84), and streets (OR:1.54, 95% CI: 1.39-1.70), but were less likely to have Y codes for public places (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.94). Similar associations were observed for FEI and AKI ED visits. Locations associated with higher heat risks may be due to exposure outdoor temperature and activities, supporting the need to develop strategies and interventions that minimize heat exposure in these areas.

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Publication Details

Journal
GeoHealth
Published
2025-04-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gh001287
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Climate Change and Health Impacts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.40

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article

Associations Between Temperature and Location of Injury or Condition Among Heat‐Related Emergency Department Visits

Howard H. Chang, Stefanie Ebelt, Hua Hao, Morgan Lane et al.
2 citations
GeoHealth
Climate Change and Health Impacts
2.40
article

Associations Between Temperature and Location of Injury or Condition Among Heat‐Related Emergency Department Visits

Howard H. Chang, Stefanie Ebelt, Hua Hao, Morgan Lane, Noah Scovronick, Chen Li, Rebecca Zhang
article en
2 citations

Abstract

High ambient temperature poses significant health risk globally. However, the relative importance of different exposure pathways leading to health risks remains unclear. For 9 US states during 2016-2018, ED visit records for heat exhaustion and heat stroke (HEAT), fluid and electrolyte imbalance (FEI), volume depletion (VD), and acute kidney injury (AKI) were identified via diagnosis codes. Co-diagnosed Y92 subcodes (Y codes) were used to categorize the patient's location at the time of injury or condition. Logistic regressions were used to estimate nonlinear associations between same-day temperature and Y codes for 11 non-residential versus residential locations among heat-related ED visits, including stratified analyses by patient age, race, and ethnicity. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated between the 95th versus 50th percentile of temperature. Overall, higher temperature was associated with increased risks of ED visits with Y codes for non-residential locations. HEAT ED visits were more likely to have Y codes for streets compared to residential locations (OR:1.68, 95% CI: 1.12-2.51). Similarly, VD visits were more likely to have Y codes for industrial area (OR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.98-3.63), farms (OR:7.66, 95% CI: 4.05-14.50), recreation areas (OR:2.25, 95% CI: 1.78-2.84), and streets (OR:1.54, 95% CI: 1.39-1.70), but were less likely to have Y codes for public places (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.94). Similar associations were observed for FEI and AKI ED visits. Locations associated with higher heat risks may be due to exposure outdoor temperature and activities, supporting the need to develop strategies and interventions that minimize heat exposure in these areas.

GeoHealthVol. 9(4)
Emory University (US)
State of New Jersey Department of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Climate Change and Health Impacts
2.40
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