US hospitals see alcohol, opioid cases rise due to high temperatures

HQ Team

September 27, 2023: Higher temperatures led to a rise in hospital visits for the treatment of alcohol and substance-related disorders in the US.

Researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health examined the link between temperature and hospital visits related to alcohol and drugs, including cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and sedatives in New York State.

Data from 671,625 alcohol and 721,469 substance-related disorder hospital visits over 20 years were used for the analysis.

A comprehensive record of daily temperatures and relative humidity was correlated with lower temperatures on the nearby days.

Elevated heat

This helped the researchers to understand the impact of short-term climate-related phenomena such as periods of elevated heat.

“During periods of higher temperatures, there was a corresponding increase in hospital visits related to alcohol and substance use, which also brings attention to some less obvious potential consequences of climate change,” said Robbie M. Parks, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia Public Health, first author.

The study may be the first comprehensive investigation of the association between temperature and alcohol- and substance-related hospital visits, according to a university statement.

In recent decades, there has been an increasing trend of heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related deaths and disease in the US, particularly in middle-aged to older adults.

Drug overdose deaths have increased more than five times since the end of the 20th century.

Behavioural reasons

There are plausible direct behavioural and physiological reasons for a relationship between changes in temperature and alcohol- and substance-related disorders, according to the study.

Increased consumption in warmer weather, more perspiration, and temperature-dependent efficacies of certain substances, such as opioids, may all contribute to how humans react to their consumption.

Higher temperatures also resulted in more hospital visits but only up to a limit of 65.8°F (18.8°C). This limit could happen because above a certain temperature people are not likely to go outside.

“There are also indirect pathways between rising temperatures from climate change and worsening mental health outcomes that could lead to the increasing use of alcohol and other substances, such as deteriorating social fabric and widening inequality.”

Public health priority

Future research can examine the role of existing health conditions exacerbated by alcohol and substance use combined with rising temperatures.

The researchers may also attempt to link cases of deaths with hospital visit records to create a fuller picture of patient’s medical history.

“Public health interventions that broadly target alcohol and substance disorders in warmer weather—for example, targeted messaging on the risks of their consumption during warmer weather—should be a public health priority,” said senior author Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia Public Health.