NBC News
The United States is on the verge of breaking several heat records, putting millions of people in the regions hardest hit by high temperatures at risk of long-term and fatal problems.
Most southern and southeastern states, including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and the Carolinas, are under heat warnings this week. Labor Dayaccording to the National Weather Service.
Extreme heat can be dangerous for anyone, of any age. But for those living in the hardest-hit regions, the relentlessly high temperatures can be especially terrifying.
In states like Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, rates of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart problems and kidney disease are among the highest in the United States.
These health problems make it harder for bodies to cool themselves effectively during heat waves.
“People who have chronic health conditions are going to be the most susceptible, particularly when you have back-to-back days of high heat and high humidity,” said Dr. John Sherner, chairman of medicine at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “Their bodies won’t be able to regulate temperature as precisely, so when the environment gets warmer, they get hotter faster.”
While no part of the country is spared from rising heat or the prevalence of underlying illnesses, the two factors often dangerously merge in the American South and Southeast.
Under these conditions, the body’s natural impulse is to dilate or widen the blood vessels so that more blood reaches the skin and expels as much internal heat as possible. The heart has to work very hard to make this happen.
Southern states have historically had a higher number of residents whose underlying health conditions make it harder for their bodies to maintain a stable body temperature.
Heart failure, for example, is a condition in which the heart cannot pump oxygen-rich blood with full force throughout the body, even at normal temperatures.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults with Medicare living in southern and eastern states had the highest rates of heart failure hospitalizations in the country from 2019 to 2021.
Tensions on hospital systems
“We’re seeing a lot of cases of heart failure,” said Dr. Joanne Skaggs, associate medical director for adults at the University of Oklahoma’s OU Health Medical Center, as well as “a significant number of patients who are dehydrated and feeling dizzy” in emergency departments.
The combination is putting “a lot of strain on an already overburdened health care system,” he added.
Patients with diabetes or other chronic diseases are at even higher risk for heart failure, according to the CDC.
“I had a couple who literally cooked themselves,” said Dr. David Obert of the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. The couple — both seniors — stayed home for three days after their air conditioners broke down and they developed severe kidney failure.
“A cycle we can’t seem to break”
Heat waves are becoming longer and more intense every year.
2023 was the warmest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and there’s a 77% chance 2024 will break that record.
“Unfortunately, this is a cycle we can’t break,” said Kimberly McMahon, public programs manager for NOAA’s National Weather Service.
This summer, the National Integrated Heat and Health Information System developed a federal strategic plan to explore critical issues related to the health impacts of heat. McMahon is co-chair.
“If we know that heat is deadly, and we are actually pretty good at predicting how hot it will be, why are we still having so many deaths?” he said.
Stay safe in the heat
- Drink water. When you think you’ve had enough, drink more.
- Recognize the signs of heat-related illness, including cramps, muscle spasms, dizziness, headaches, weakness, nausea and confusion. These are signs that a person may need medical attention.
- Seek help if you do not have access to air conditioning or other ways to cool down.
