AAP: Pediatric Heat-Related ED Visits Increased 170 Percent Over Last Decade

FRIDAY, Sept. 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Pediatric heat-related illness emergency department volume is associated with higher temperatures and is increasing over time, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 in Orlando, Florida.

Taylor Merritt, M.D., from the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined trends in heat-related illness over time in a retrospective study conducted at a pediatric health care system with two large children's hospitals. Emergency department encounters with a heat-related emergency department diagnosis during warm months (May through September) were identified from 2012 to 2023. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared for heat-specific diagnoses and rhabdomyolysis.

The researchers identified 542 heat-related emergency department encounters. There was a 170 percent increase in aggregate heat-related encounters as a proportion of total emergency department encounters, from 4.3 to 11.6 per 10,000 from 2012 to 2023. Higher heat-related emergency department volume was seen in association with summer months with higher peak temperatures. Seventy-seven percent of all heat-related encounters had heat-specific diagnoses, and 24 percent had a rhabdomyolysis diagnosis. The heat-specific group was younger and more likely to be Hispanic, use government-based insurance, and live in an area with a lower Child Opportunity Index score compared with the rhabdomyolysis group. Most heat-specific encounters resulted in an emergency department discharge (96 percent), while 63 percent of rhabdomyolysis encounters resulted in hospital admission.

"As extreme summer temperatures become more frequent due to a changing climate, we're seeing a rise in heat-related illnesses, particularly in vulnerable groups like children," Merritt said in a statement.

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