Heat-related hospitalizations

Heat-related illness hospitalizations in Minnesota:

Hospitalizations represent the most severe cases of heat-related illness. People are hospitalized for heat-related illness due to extreme symptoms, including intense dehydration, and complications from other health conditions.

Elderly and young children are more sensitive to heat and may need more care and monitoring to recover from heat-related illness. Hospitalizations due to heat are sometimes not coded as heat-related leading to underestimated counts of hospitalizations from the effects of heat.

 

Heat index combines temperature and humidity to better measure what the temperature feels like to the human body. On days with high temperature and humidity, we may feel hotter than expected from the termpature on its own. Heat index and heat-related illness are related, in addition to other risk factors.

 

Males in the 65+ age category are hospitalized at a greater rate as compared to the other age-sex categories. In general, males over age 15 are more likely to be hospitalized than females.

 

Trends show that adults aged 65+ consistently have higher rates of heat-related hospitalizations than other age groups. This reinforces the current scientific knowledge that those who are age 65+ are most vulnerable to heat.

There is a similar pattern for both sexes. More males are hospitalized for heat-illness overall.

Greater MN and Metro regions follow the same pattern of heat hospitalizations. Some populations are more vulnerable to heat-related illness than others and where these populations live can impact these regional differences.

 

 

Last updated July 2024. Content is updated as data becomes available.