2964 people died in high temperature in the Netherlands
4hw.com.cn: last month, the temperature in the Netherlands exceeded the record high of 40.6 degrees Celsius. According to the interim mortality report, the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said that in the super heat wave at the end of July, the death toll was 400 more than the average.
A total of 2964 people died in the 30th week of this year, down by about 200 in the same week last year. In particular, the number of deaths in the group aged 80 and over is higher than usual, 1687 in 2019, compared with 1538 a year ago. There are differences among other age groups, but the differences are small.
This summer, from July 22 to 27, there was a heat wave across the country. The Central Bureau of Statistics said that although the heat wave lasted for a short time, it was very intense. During this period, there are significant regional differences in temperature, especially in the eastern Netherlands, where the hot time is longer and the temperature is higher. Therefore, the death toll in the eastern region is higher than that in other regions.
Previous studies have shown that high temperature is associated with higher mortality. Therefore, Marcel Olde rikkert, a professor of Geriatrics, was not surprised by these figures: 'this can be expected. The heat was impressive, and I was troubled by it myself; It's too hot for those old people who have little resistance to the heat. "
Professor Marcel Olde rikkert explained why people over the age of 80 are prone to trouble under high temperature: 'research results over the years show that after several days of high temperature, the number of emergency patients in hospitals is increasing. This is because the elderly often no longer realize that they are thirsty and need to absorb water. Their kidney function is weakened and their condition is becoming more and more serious. Moreover, the elderly also take relatively more drugs. "
The latter can lead to major problems. For example, many elderly people take diuretic drugs, which means that they will soon lose water in the body under high temperature.
The professor advocates carefully monitoring the use of drugs by the elderly and that it is best not to take certain drugs in hot weather. He regarded the annual death toll in the heat wave as a doctor's' warning signal '.