Extreme heat increases hospitalizations for Alzheimer’s patients primarily because it exacerbates their vulnerability to heat stress, impairs their body’s ability to regulate temperature, and worsens cognitive and neurological symptoms. Alzheimer’s disease affects brain function, including areas responsible for recognizing and responding to bodily needs like thirst and temperature regulation, making patients less able to cope with high temperatures.
As temperatures rise, the body normally cools itself through sweating and increased blood flow to the skin. However, older adults, especially those with Alzheimer’s, have diminished thermoregulatory functions, meaning their sweating capacity and skin blood flow are reduced. This impaired heat dissipation leads to a higher risk of overheating and dehydration. Additionally, Alzheimer’s patients often have a reduced sense of thirst, so they may not drink enough fluids to compensate for water loss, further increasing dehydration risk.
Heat stress can worsen neurological symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients. High temperatures can intensify confusion, agitation, and delirium, which are already common in dementia. This can lead to behavioral disturbances that require urgent medical attention. The brain’s damaged connections in Alzheimer’s disease become even less efficient under heat stress, causing a decline in cognitive function and increasing the likelihood of hospital visits.
Dehydration caused by heat also thickens the blood, increasing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular problems, which are common comorbidities in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s. Heat waves have been linked to spikes in hospital admissions for dementia and other neurological diseases because these conditions make patients more susceptible to heat-related complications.
Moreover, many Alzheimer’s patients take medications that can impair the body’s ability to regulate temperature or cause dehydration, such as diuretics or antipsychotics. These medications can make it even harder for patients to tolerate extreme heat, increasing the risk of heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses.
Environmental factors linked to extreme heat, such as increased air pollution, may also accelerate Alzheimer’s progression and worsen symptoms, indirectly contributing to hospitalizations during hot periods. Heat waves often coincide with poor air quality, which can exacerbate brain inflammation and cognitive decline.
In summary, extreme heat increases hospitalizations for Alzheimer’s patients because their impaired thermoregulation, reduced thirst response, worsened neurological symptoms, medication effects, and increased cardiovascular risks combine to make them highly vulnerable to heat stress and its complications. This vulnerability is amplified during heat waves, leading to more frequent and severe health crises requiring hospitalization.
