Wednesday 16 November 2022 11:38 PM Climate change is making migraines, strokes and DEMENTIA more severe and ... trends now

Wednesday 16 November 2022 11:38 PM Climate change is making migraines, strokes and DEMENTIA more severe and ... trends now
Wednesday 16 November 2022 11:38 PM Climate change is making migraines, strokes and DEMENTIA more severe and ... trends now

Wednesday 16 November 2022 11:38 PM Climate change is making migraines, strokes and DEMENTIA more severe and ... trends now

Climate change is making a host of health conditions more common and severe, a review has claimed.

Researchers looked at 364 studies dating back to 1990.

They found rising global temperatures and increasingly severe weather events have increased the risks of strokes, dementia and multiple sclerosis.

But it is not just chronic illnesses, more mild ailments like headaches have also become more common, the study claims.

Prior research shows higher longer summers and hotter temperatures put increased stress on the heart.

The body has to work harder to stay cool and pump blood round to different organs.

And evidence shows that when pollution is breathed in, it also seeps into the bloodstream.

This chronic stress on the on the body drives up the risk of brain disorders and neurological diseases.

Since 1981, global temperatures have risen 0.32°F per decade.

Lead author of the study, Dr Andrew Dhawan, from Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said: ‘Climate change poses many challenges for humanity, some of which are not well-studied.'

He added: ‘As we witness the effects of a warming planet on human health, it is imperative that neurologists anticipate how neurologic disease may change.’

Headaches are just one of the health hazards made worse by a warming planet, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio found

Headaches are just one of the health hazards made worse by a warming planet, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio found

Wildfires, which have for years primarily affected the West coast, have burnt up more than 7 million acres of land. They have also spewed toxic smoke as far east as New York City, worsening air quality and putting people's health in jeopardy.

Wildfires, which have for years primarily affected the West coast, have burnt up more than 7 million acres of land. They have also spewed toxic smoke as far east as New York City, worsening air quality and putting people's health in jeopardy.  

Wildfires from 1984 to 1999
Wildfires from 2005 to 2018

Slide me

Left shows the number of wildfires from 1984 to 1999, and right shows the number from 2005 to 2018 - finding the later years saw an increase in wildfires

When exposed to hotter climates, your body becomes dehydrated as it needs more water to make up for what is being lost through sweat. 

Even mild dehydration can trigger headaches and migraines.

According the the Cleveland Clinic, the brain shrinks when dehydrated, pulling it away from the skull and putting pressure on nerves as a result, which causes pain.

 One study found that a higher average temperature in the day before turning up to hospital increased headaches by 7.5 per cent.

The researchers selected 364 studies on adults published between 1990 and 2022 — which looked at the link between health conditions and temperature changes, extreme weather events and air pollution.

America's growing wildfire crisis could lead to a wave of heart attacks, lung disease and cancer diagnoses years down the line, scientists warn 

The US' increasing wildfire crisis could trigger a wave of health issues in years to come, scientists warn.

This year has seen more than 60,000 wildfires scorch over 7.2 million acres of US land — up from 42,400 and 4.1m in 2013.

The ever-warming climate is making wildfires more common and destructive.  Warmer springs, longer summer dry seasons, and drier soils and vegetation make for prime conditions for a blaze.

Recent wildfires across the west coast have spewed smoke in huge volumes that have spread nationwide, blanketing cities as far as the eastern US in a toxic haze.

Exposure to the toxins in wildfire smoke has been linked to elevated flu seasons, a spike in cases of asthma, heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems, lung irritation, bronchitis, dementia and mental health issues. 

Wildfire smoke contains tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 - made of solid and liquid droplets from burned material such as vegetation and heavy metals.

PM2.5 is so tiny it can seep into the bloodstream through the lungs and and travel to major organs, including the brain.

Keith Bein, an associate professional

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