1500 impatients must go to the hospital every year
Climate change leads on average to more heat days. The health consequences, according to the Statistical Federal Office in Wiesbaden, are in part enormous. More than 1000 people on average have to go to the hospital each year.
Between the years 2002 and 2022, on average, nearly 1500 people per year have been treated in hospitals due to heat and strong sun exposure. "Extreme heat is also a problem for the health of the population in this country," the Statistical Federal Office in Wiesbaden stated. In the same period, the number of deaths directly caused by heat was on average 20 per year.
However, very high temperatures seem to cause overall mortality to increase, as they often have an indirect effect and combine with pre-existing conditions to increase the risk of death.
Extreme temperatures lead to deaths
The number of heat-related hospital treatments was often higher in years with many heat days, according to the Federal Office. According to the definition of the German Weather Service, a heat day is a day when temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius or more.
For example, the statisticians cited the year 2015, which had an average of 17.6 heat days. In that year, the number of heat-related injuries and sunstroke, for instance, was 2322 cases, 59% above the average of the years 2002 to 2022. In the same year, there were 60 deaths attributable to heat or sunshine - three times the average of the years 2002 to 2022.
The statisticians recorded the most hospital treatments (2600) and relatively many deaths (41) due to heat or sunshine in the year 2003. That year also had an average of 19.0 heat days. In their survey, the Federal Office refers to hospital statistics, statistics on causes of death, and data from the German Weather Service.
The Federal Statistical Office highlighted that extreme heat can pose significant health hazards, leading to an increase in hospital visits and deaths. On average, around 20 people per year die directly due to heat, and this number increases during heatwave periods. International studies suggest that hospitals in countries with similar climate conditions also experience similar health issues during heatwaves.
