@article{ref1,
title="Impact of temperature in summer on emergency transportation for heat-related diseases in Japan",
journal="Chinese medical journal",
year="2018",
author="Ito, Yukie and Akahane, Manabu and Imamura, Tomoaki",
volume="131",
number="5",
pages="574-582",
abstract="BACKGROUND: In Japan, the demand for emergency transportation for people with heat-related illness has recently increased. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between incidents of heat-related illness and the daily maximum temperature. <br><br>METHODS: The daily maximum temperatures in Japan's 11 districts over the past 10 years were classified into four categories, with cutoff points at the 50<sup>th</sup>, 75<sup>th</sup>, 95<sup>th</sup>, and higher than 95<sup>th</sup>percentiles. We then conducted a logistic regression analysis of emergency transportation demand in each temperature category by age group, using the 50<sup>th</sup>percentile as the reference category for each area. <br><br>RESULTS: There were 42,931 cases of emergency transportation due to heat-related diseases during the study period. Classified by age, 12.5%, 43.4%, and 44.1% of cases involved children, adults, and elderly people, respectively. The analysis showed that the number of cases of emergency transportation for people with heat-related diseases (per 100,000 people; corresponding to a 1.0°C increase in the daily maximum temperature) was 0.016-0.106 among children (24.9-169.9 children required emergency transportation for heat-related diseases), from 0.013 to 0.059 among adults (19.8-98.2 adults required emergency transportation), and from 0.045 to 0.159 among elderly persons (30.0-145.4 elderly people required emergency transportation). The risk was highest for elderly persons, followed by children and finally adults. Cases of emergency transportation due to heat-related illness increased by 2.4-8.9 times when the daily maximum temperature was approximately 1.5°C above the mean daily maximum temperature. In fact, the daily maximum temperature had a larger effect than the daily relative humidity level on emergency transportation for people with heat-related diseases. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Public health organizations and health-care services should support elderly people and children, two high-risk groups for heat-related diseases.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0366-6999",
doi="10.4103/0366-6999.226061",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0366-6999.226061"
}