Heat strain in elderly during heat waves in the Netherland
conference paper
It is well documented that high ambient temperatures causes an increase in morbidity and mortality. Particularly elderly of over 75 years old are vulnerable for heat stress (Kovats and Hajat, 2008). Mackenbach et al. (1997) showed that an additional 10 elderly die every week in Dutch nursery homes when ambient temperatures are between 25 and 30°C compared to 15-20°C. Still many uncertainties exist with respect to the causes for heat-related excess mortality (Kovats and Hajat, 2008). From a thermal physiological view the load on the cardiovascular system dominates (e.g. Hess et al., 2009), while epidemiological data show that mortality in the heat is mainly related to respiratory issues (e.g. Stafoggia et al., 2006, Kovats and Hajat, 2008). The amount of heat strain and how elderly cope with heat strain has hardly been investigated and therefore is the topic of this study.
TNO Identifier
444836
Source title
Abstract book XIV International Conference on Environmental Ergonomics, Nafplio, Greece, 2011
Editor(s)
Kounalakis, S.
Koskolou, M.
Koskolou, M.
Pages
168-170
Files
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