Climate warming may aggravate neurological conditions like stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, according to recent research.
Professor Sanjay Sisodiya, the lead researcher at the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, emphasized the strong relationship between climate and brain diseases, including stroke and nervous system infections, per HealthDay.
For the study, published by The Lancet Neurology, researchers reviewed 332 papers from 1968-2023.
In a university press release, Sisodiya stated that climate change, particularly severe temperatures, both low and high, and increased temperature variance throughout the day, especially when seasonally atypical, affected brain conditions.
According to the study, strokes rose during heatwaves, while dementia makes people more susceptible to heat stroke, hypothermia, and weather catastrophes like flooding and wildfires.
Moreover, the research team discovered that high temperatures, daily temperature fluctuations, and extreme hot and cold weather increase the risk of several mental health conditions. Sisodiya stressed that high evening temperatures might interrupt sleep and worsen brain problems.
In the face of increasing climate conditions, Sisodiya emphasized the importance of nimble and dynamic research to provide vital knowledge for individuals and organizations. He also noted the lack of research assessing brain illness and health impacts under future climatic scenarios, making planning difficult.
Global Temperatures Continue to Rise
TechTimes recently reported that the European Union's climate change monitoring service determined April 2024 to be the warmest ever, continuing a 12-month sequence of record-breaking temperatures.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reports that each month since June 2023 has established new temperature records. The 12-month worldwide average temperature, including April, reached 1.61 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900.
Scientists are studying these severe temperature trends to see if human activities tipped the climate system. Julien Nicolas, C3S Senior Climate Scientist, noted that scientists are concerned about serious climate change.
Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning accelerate climate change, while the El Niño phenomenon worsens high heat conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
C3S recorded above-average rainfall in April over Europe, with southern Spain, Italy, and the Western Balkans drier. Al Jazeera said that Eastern Australia had heavy rain while the rest received below-normal precipitation, similar to northern Mexico.
The C3S dataset, dating back to 1940, shows April 2024 as the warmest April since the pre-industrial period, emphasizing the need for global climate action.
Separately, the World Meteorological Organisation's (WMO) "State of the Climate in Asia 2023" report shows rising climate change indicators in Asia. Rising surface temperatures, glacier retreats, and sea level rise threaten communities, economies, and ecosystems.
Mosquito-Borne Diseases Rise Due to Climate Change
Notably, climate change may also increase the risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Professor Rachel Lowe of Spain's Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies says climate change-induced global warming is extending disease vectors' geographic range, causing dengue and malaria outbreaks in previously unaffected areas.
Due to the freezing susceptibility of mosquito larvae and eggs, disease vectors, previously restricted to tropical and subtropical regions, now thrive in new environments where populations may lack immunity and public health systems are ill-prepared to manage outbreaks.
According to experts, if global warming reaches 1 degree Celsius, 2.4 billion more people may be in danger of dengue and malaria by 2100 than in 1970-1999. Current greenhouse gas emissions and population growth patterns might increase the number of individuals with these diseases to 4.7 billion by the end of the century.
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