Clarifying life lost due to cold and heat: a new approach using annual time series.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To clarify whether deaths associated with hot and cold days are among the frail who would have died anyway in the next few weeks or months.

Design

Time series regression analysis of annual deaths in relation to annual summaries of cold and heat.

Setting

London, UK.

Participants

3 530 280 deaths from all natural causes among London residents between October 1949 and September 2006.

Main outcome measures

Change in annual risk of death (all natural cause, cardiovascular and respiratory) associated with each additional 1°C of average cold (or heat) below (above) the threshold (18°C) across each year.

Results

Cold years were associated with increased deaths from all causes. For each additional 1° of cold across the year, all-cause mortality i

SUBMITTER: Rehill N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4401844 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature