ER visits for heat illness rose in 2023 amid record-breaking temperatures: CDC
Source: ABC News
April 18, 2024, 1:17 PM
Heat-related emergency room visits increased in 2023 in the U.S. compared to previous years, according to new federal data.
Between Jan. 1, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2023, there were a total of 119,605 ER visits for heat-related illnesses, with 92% of those visits occurring between May and September, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
July and August had higher than average ER visits due to heat than other warm-season months, including May, June and September, according to the report, which looked at data of ER visits caused by heat in 2023 and compared it t visits between 2018 and 2022. These findings are "consistent with record-breaking temperatures observed … in 2023." said the CDC.
The risk of heat-related ER visits during July and August 2023 was more than three times that seen in May, June, and September. By comparison, the risk during July and August from 2018 to 2022 was about twice as high as in May, June and September of the same period.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/er-visits-heat-illness-rose-2023-amid-record/story?id=109379852
Link to CDC REPORT - Heat-Related Emergency Department Visits — United States, May–September 2023
