ArticleEnvironmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.)2025
Extreme heat and hospital admissions in older adults: A small-area analysis in the Greater Boston metropolitan area.
Article in Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of Heat Waves on Hospitalizations, Emergency Department Visits, and Outpatient Care in Frail Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Extreme Urban Heat and Emergency Department Visits in Older Adults.JAMA network open · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Extreme heat (EH) is a leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the United States. In Massachusetts, average temperatures have increased by 1.9 °C since the 20th century, higher than the global average increase of 1.1 °C. EH disproportionately impacts communities, exacerbating social inequities. This study examined the risks of heat-related hospitalizations in each small area of the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area using Medicare data (2000-2016). EH events included daily heat index (HI), days with an HI above the 90th percentile, and heat waves (≥2 consecutive EH days). We applied a case-crossover design to estimate area-specific associations between EH and hospitalizations and assessed effect modifications by an individual (age ≥85, sex, Medicaid dual eligibility) and ZIP-code characteristics (green space, poverty, educational attainment, and household income). Results were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Area-specific analysis revealed higher hospitalization risks in Boston compared with surrounding areas. Pooled results indicated heat-related hospitalizations increased by 9.0% (95% CI = 5.7, 12.3) per 10 °C rise in HI, 14.4% (95% CI = 8.8, 20.3) on EH days, and 17.9% (95% CI = 11.1, 25.1) during heat waves. Risks were more pronounced in Boston, and some indications of elevated risk among males and residents in low-income, low-education areas. These findings underscore that heat-related health risks may be different across the level of geographic units and suggest the need for targeted public health strategies to mitigate the impacts of EH.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.