ArticlePLoS medicine2026
The association between power outages and cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalizations among US Medicare beneficiaries in 2018: A case-crossover study.
Article in PLoS medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Recurrent power outages and the mental health burden of grid reliability in Maryland.iScience · 2026Article
- A spatiotemporally harmonized dataset of utility-reported power outages and NWS VTEC weather warnings for the contiguous United States (2015-2024).Scientific data · 2026Article
- Do Power Outages Impact Mental Health? Empirical evidence from Maryland.Research square · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn the United States, already-prevalent power outages are increasing in frequency and duration with climate change. Studies from New York State show that power outages may increase hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and respiratory disease in vulnerable populations such as older adults, but exposure data limitations have constrained nationwide studies of power outages and health. Here, we tested if power outages were associated with emergency CVD and respiratory disease-related hospitalizations among older adults in the United States. METHODS AND
findingsWe developed a national dataset of power outage exposure and identified county-days with ≥1% of customers exposed to 8+ hour power outages in 2018. We leveraged data on 23 million Medicare Fee-For-Service beneficiaries aged 65+ to estimate daily county-level rates of emergency CVD- and respiratory-related hospitalizations. We applied a case-crossover design with a conditional Poisson model to estimate the lagged association (up to 1 week) between daily county-level power outage exposure and cause-specific hospitalization rates. Models controlled for daily temperature, precipitation, and wind speed.
resultsPower outages were associated with increased emergency CVD and respiratory hospitalizations. The association between power outage and CVD hospitalizations was strongest the day after power outage exposure (rate ratio [RR]=1.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.03), while the association between outage and respiratory disease was strongest the day of power outage exposure (RR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.04). We estimated this association using county-level power outage data; future studies could use higher spatial resolution data.
conclusionsPower outages may increase the risk of CVD and respiratory hospitalizations among US older adults. Improving electricity reliability could support community health and protect older adults from CVD and respiratory disease exacerbations.
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