Cold deaths have increased since 1999 in the US

Over time, deaths from cold temperatures have increased in the United States.

From 1999 to 2022, the country’s age-adjusted cold-related death rate rose from about 4 per 1 million people to 9, researchers report Dec. 19 in Journal of the American Medical Association. These are deaths for which exposure to the cold was the main cause or was a contributor. The increase in the rate of cold-related deaths during the study period was driven by an increase from 2017 to 2022.

Among the different age groups, the oldest had the highest rate of cold deaths. Those 75 and older saw a rate of 42 per 1 million people in 2022. Older people are more susceptible to the cold in part because it’s harder for their bodies to generate heat and stay warm.

There was also a higher burden of cold-related deaths in some racial and ethnic groups in 2022. Among American Indians or Alaska Natives, the death rate was 63 per 1 million people. For black people, the rate was 15 per 1 million.

Risks from structural factors such as lack of heat are disproportionately experienced by racial and ethnic minority groups. For example, 2 percent of American households, on average, have heating deficiencies, but that rises to 12 percent for American Indians and Alaska Natives in tribal areas, according to a 2017 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report. And research has found that black people are more likely to live in older homes with inefficient heating systems and inadequate insulation.

Exposure to extreme cold can lead to hypothermia, when a person’s core temperature drops below 35 degrees Celsius because the body cannot produce heat fast enough to compensate for its loss. During hypothermia, which is a medical emergency, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems cannot function properly.

The new study was not designed to determine why the cold death rate has increased. The authors suggest several factors to investigate, including whether it is related to the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States—a major risk factor for exposure to dangerous cold—or to more frequent weather episodes. heavy winter.SN: 16.3.18).

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Aimee Cunningham is the biomedical writer. She has a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University.