New Delhi: Deaths and disability due to stroke around the world are increasingly linked to temperature changes driven by climate change, a new analysis of global data over three decades has found. In 2019, there were over 5.2 lakh stroke deaths linked to non-optimal temperatures, the study, published in the journal Neurology, found.
While the majority of these stroke deaths — more than 4.7 lakh — were due to lower than optimal temperatures, researchers also found that number of deaths from stroke linked to higher than optimal temperatures had increased, when compared with 1990. They associated optimal temperatures with the lowest death rates.
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The burden of stroke “due to high temperature has increased rapidly, especially among people aged older than 10 years, and was disproportionately concentrated in low Socio-demographic Index (SDI) regions such as Africa,” they wrote in the study.
In India, there were nearly 33,000 deaths from stroke attributable to non-optimal temperatures, 55 per cent of which (roughly 18,000) were attributable to higher than optimal temperatures and 45 per cent (roughly 15,000) to lower than optimal temperatures, the researchers found.
Study author Quan Cheng of Xiangya Hospital Central South University in Changsha, China, said,
Dramatic temperature changes in recent years have affected human health and caused widespread concern.
The researchers said that ageing too was a key factor in the increase in burden of stroke attributable to temperature changes.
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The team further found that the death rates from stroke due to non-optimal temperatures were higher in men at 7.7 per 1 lakh population, compared to women at 5.9 per 1 lakh population.
Regionally, central Asia was found to have the highest death rate for stroke linked to non-optimal temperatures with 18 per 1 lakh population.
The team said more research was needed to determine how temperature changes impact stroke and to target solutions to address health inequalities. Mr Cheng said,
Future research should aim to reduce this threat by finding effective health policies that address potential causes of climate change, such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and industrial processes.
For their analysis, the researchers looked at datasets from the Climate Research Unit Gridded Time Series, the World Bank, and the Global Burden of Diseases study for estimating the spread of stroke burden in 204 countries and territories around the world.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
