Health
CDC warns of extreme heat dangers amid ‘record-breaking high temperatures’
Many regions across the United States experienced “record-breaking high temperatures” in 2023 due to extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Emergency room visits due to heat-related illness peaked in several regions in the U.S. and remained elevated for a prolonged duration compared to visits between 2018 and 2022, the agency’s recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report noted.
More males went to the emergency room for heat-related illnesses than females – especially those between 18 and 64 years old.
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Americans are experiencing “longer, hotter and more frequent episodes of extreme heat,” the report states.
Is extreme heat a public threat?
“Extreme heat could be considered an invisible killer in so much as many people become exposed and vulnerable to its dangers quickly and often without warning,” Patrick McHugh, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic Akron General in Akron, Ohio, told Fox News Digital.
Many regions across the United States experienced “record-breaking high temperatures” in 2023 due to extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (iStock)
Although McHugh said Americans “shouldn’t worry,” he emphasized the need to “be aware and prepared for the dangers of heat waves.”
An EPA spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “As average temperatures rise due to climate change, the risk of extreme temperatures, heat waves and record-breaking temperatures increases.”
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Here’s what to know about extreme heat and how to stay safe.
What is extreme heat?
“Extreme heat can be defined depending on a variety of factors, including location, weather conditions (such as cloud cover, humidity and temperature), and the time of year,” said an EPA spokesperson in an email.
It typically occurs when the weather is much hotter and/or more humid than average in a particular area, the agency added.
Emergency room visits due to heat-related illness peaked in several regions in the U.S. and remained elevated for a prolonged duration compared to visits between 2018 and 2022. (iStock)
While summertime temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit might be normal for Phoenix, Arizona, for example — the same temperatures are considered extreme for Boston, Massachusetts.
“Where in the U.S. people are most susceptible to heat depends on what is normal for a given location and the type of infrastructure (such as access to air conditioning),” the EPA spokesperson noted.
“Extreme heat is becoming more common in places that have not historically experienced extreme heat … and don’t have the infrastructure to keep people cool, which has major consequences for health and safety.”
“Extreme heat could be considered an invisible killer … as many people become exposed and vulnerable to its dangers quickly and often without warning.”
A heat wave is typically defined as a “prolonged period of abnormally hot weather, usually lasting more than two days in a row,” the EPA spokesperson said.
Heat waves can occur with or without humidity.
The average global temperature has risen by more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the mid-1800s, according to McHugh.
Elderly adults, infants, individuals taking certain medications and people with disabilities are at greater risk of heat-related illnesses. (iStock)
“This results in greater extreme heat temperatures, increased variability in temperatures and an increase in the risk of heat illness,” he told Fox News Digital.
The EPA’s Heat Waves indicator, which monitors trends in heat waves for 50 cities across the U.S. over the past 60 years, shows that heat waves are occurring more often over a longer period of time — both in average number of days and season length — and are also becoming hotter over time.
Risk factors for extreme heat effects
Elderly adults, infants, individuals taking certain medications and people with disabilities are at greater risk of heat-related illnesses, according to McHugh, who has a specialty in wilderness medicine.
These individuals may not have adequate resources to escape the heat and protect themselves, he warned.
“Extreme heat is becoming more common in places that have not historically experienced extreme heat … and don’t have the infrastructure to keep people cool, which has major consequences for health and safety,” an EPA spokesperson said. (iStock)
“Many schools in northern parts of the U.S. do not have air conditioning, so when heat waves happen in May/June or [in] September, students and teachers can be at risk,” the EPA spokesperson noted.
Certain factors can also increase someone’s risk of developing a heat-related illness, including fever, dehydration, prescription drug use, alcohol use or sunburn, according to the CDC.
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Healthy people can be at risk if they engage in strenuous physical activity when it’s very hot outside — which means it’s important to balance activities with actions that cool the body to prevent heat-related illness, the EPA advised.
Certain settings — such as inside cars, construction worksites and homes with little to no air conditioning — can also put people at greater risk, according to the CDC.
Heat island effect
Some urban areas experience higher temperatures compared to outlying areas.
“Structures such as buildings, roads and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes like forests and water bodies,” the EPA spokesperson said.
These highly concentrated areas, which have limited greenery, become “islands” of higher temperatures relative to outlying areas.
It’s important to balance activities with actions that cool the body to prevent heat-related illness, the EPA advised. (iStock)
“Daytime temperatures in urban areas are about 1 to 7 [degrees Fahrenheit] higher than temperatures in outlying areas, and nighttime temperatures are about 2-5 [degrees Fahrenheit] higher,” the agency noted.
People living and working in these areas are at higher risk of heat-related illness and death.
“Prolonged exposure to high temperatures is associated with increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular, kidney and respiratory disorders.”
As people lose control of their internal temperature amid extreme heat, they may experience a range of illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and hyperthermia, according to the EPA.
“Prolonged exposure to high temperatures is associated with increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular, kidney and respiratory disorders,” the spokesperson said.
A particular setting can also place people at high risk, including inside cars, construction worksites and homes with little to no air conditioning, according to the CDC. (iStock)
Some 1,220 people die of heat-related illness every year in the United States due to extreme heat, per CDC estimates.
“Heat islands also increase energy demand for cooling, which can increase greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and can be a financial burden for many people — particularly low- or fixed-income households,” the EPA spokesperson said.
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Everyone should have a plan in case of extreme heat, McHugh advised. “Either an air-conditioned home or building where shelter from the heat is easily available should be used.”
Extreme cold is dangerous, too
Those who counter climate change claims warn of extreme temperatures at both ends of the spectrum.
Most studies have shown that extreme cold causes about 10 times more excess deaths than extreme heat, according to William Happer, PhD, professor emeritus of physics at Princeton University in New Jersey and a prominent critic of climate extremism.
Most studies have shown that extreme cold causes about 10 times more excess deaths than extreme heat, according to a physics professor. (iStock)
A 2015 international study that analyzed deaths between 1985 and 2012 in 13 countries, including the U.S., found that most of the deaths due to adverse temperatures were attributable to cold weather.
The study, which was published in The Lancet, also revealed that most deaths were caused not by extreme temperatures, but by exposure to moderately hot and cold temperatures.
A more recent study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2021 found that for every death associated with heat, nine were connected to cold.
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“No one knows how much of the modest recent warming, around 1 [degree Celsius] over the past century, has been due to greenhouse gases and how much is natural,” Happer told Fox News Digital.
He estimates that less than half of the warming is from increasing greenhouse gases.
“Whatever the cause, observations clearly show that there has been very little change in daily high temperatures,” Happer noted.
A more recent study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2021 found that for every death associated with heat, nine were connected to cold. (Credit: Fox News)
“The warming is almost all due to warmer minimum temperatures at night and in the winter.”
Compared to lives lost due to the extreme heat, the warming should have saved more lives that would have been lost because of the extreme cold, he said.
For local heat and health information, the EPA spokesperson recommended using the CDC’s Heat and Health Tracker.
Americans can also visit their local National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Offices for real-time heat-related warnings.
Fox Weather can also be consulted on a regular basis for up-to-date weather information and news.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
With nearly seven million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s disease — and 13 million projected to have the illness by 2050 — early diagnosis and treatment are more urgent than ever.
To help address this, Mayo Clinic has announced a new, non-invasive blood test that detects a protein in the brain that signals Alzheimer’s.
The goal, doctors say, is for this test to offer a convenient, less invasive alternative to traditional diagnostic methods.
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Fox News Digital spoke to Dr. Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich, professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at Mayo Clinic Rochester in Minnesota, about the new test and what it means for Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
“This is the first Alzheimer’s disease blood test offered at Mayo Clinic Laboratories,” said Algeciras-Schimnich, who led the clinical validation study to gauge how well the test performed.
A new, non-invasive blood test detects a protein in the brain that signals Alzheimer’s, Mayo Clinic (not pictured) announced. (iStock)
“While there are other commercial blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease, the uniqueness of our test is its high accuracy rate.”
How does it work?
One of the hallmark features in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is the formation of plaque containing a protein known as beta amyloid.
“The pTau217 assay assesses the accumulation of beta amyloid in the brain by measuring the amount of phosphorylated Tau 217 (p-Tau217) in the test sample,” said Algeciras-Schimnich.
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Accumulation of beta amyloid in the brain can also be evaluated by imaging techniques, such as PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, the doctor noted — but those methods have some limitations.
“The PET scan to evaluate beta amyloid is expensive and not a widely available technology,” said Algeciras-Schimnich.
The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit medical practice and medical research group based in Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo Clinic has announced a new, non-invasive blood test to help determine if patients have Alzheimer’s. (iStock)
“And the CSF collection requires an invasive technique to remove spinal fluid, so it is also not widely used.”
The Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers serve as a non-invasive tool that can improve access for patients who need answers, she said.
How accurate is it?
In patients with symptoms of cognitive decline, the blood test has a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 96%.
“Sensitivity measures the ability of the test to correctly identify patients with the disease, while specificity measures the ability of the test to correctly identify those without the disease,” Algeciras-Schimnich explained.
“A blood-based test not only offers convenience, but could help transform Alzheimer’s disease research.”
Patients who take the test are classified as positive or negative for the presence of the accumulation of beta amyloid.
“In a small number of patients, the test will not be able to differentiate between the presence or absence of beta amyloid,” said Algeciras-Schimnich.
Patients who take the test are classified as positive or negative for the presence of the accumulation of beta amyloid. (iStock)
“These patients will need additional tests to determine if they are positive or negative for the accumulation of beta amyloid.”
The test is purposely designed to minimize the number of false positive results as compared to other tests, the doctor said.
“The test has been validated at Mayo Clinic through a rigorous quality process backed by scientific experts and clinicians,” Algeciras-Schimnich said.
The test is currently available for clinicians to order through Mayo Clinic Laboratories.
Evidence of Alzheimer’s disease is seen on PET scans at the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (CART) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, March 2023. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo)
“Since it is a blood test, it requires a blood draw by a phlebotomist, so anyone who is averse to blood should be aware,” said Algeciras-Schimnich.
At this point, the test is only recommended for individuals 50 years of age and older who have symptoms of mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia.
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“We don’t yet have enough data to support how the test performs in younger individuals,” Algeciras-Schimnich said.
Michelle Rankine, PhD, a certified dementia practitioner in Texas, is not associated with Mayo Clinic but shared her comments on the test’s potential.
Accumulation of beta amyloid in the brain can also be evaluated by imaging techniques, such as PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, the doctor noted — but those methods have some limitations. (Michael Robinson Chávez/The Washington Post)
“As the global burden of Alzheimer’s continues to rise, a blood-based test not only offers convenience, but could help transform Alzheimer’s disease research,” Rankine told Fox News Digital.
“This could make screening more efficient in averting the clinical onset of Alzheimer’s disease.”
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
“This innovation addresses a growing need and could accelerate development of new treatments, improve patient evaluation and care, and potentially even allow for early intervention before symptoms become worse,” Rankine added.
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Health
Study discovers 'trigger gene' in IBD as researchers look for drugs to prevent the bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — affects around 3.1 million U.S. adults.
The disease can cause debilitating symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, blood in the stool and more.
Now, researchers at the U.K.’s Francis Crick Institute, working with UCL and Imperial College London, have discovered a genetic component — referred to as a “weak spot” in the DNA — that is present in 95% of those living with the disorder.
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The study, published in the journal Nature earlier this month, identified a section of DNA that boosts the activity of a gene called ETS2.
ETS2 has been linked to inflammatory functions that increase the chances of IBD.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can cause debilitating symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, blood in the stool and more. (iStock)
Rosario Ligresti, M.D., chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, was not involved in the research but called the findings “quite important.”
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“The researchers finally showed that all autoimmune and inflammatory disease — including IBD — appear to be caused by a single gene, ETS2,” he told Fox News Digital.
“The research identified this gene as a central regulator of a type of inflammatory cell called the macrophage, which is the main inflammatory cell in all these processes.”
“IBD usually develops in young people and can cause severe symptoms that disrupt education, relationships, family life and employment.”
“The more the gene was ‘turned on’ or amplified, the greater the risk of inflammation. Without this gene, these cells do not ‘turn on’ and there is no IBD.”
While diet and stress have long been suspected to worsen IBD, the exact “‘molecular switch’ that activates inflammatory bowel disease has been unknown until now,” Ligresti noted.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — affects around 3.1 million U.S. adults. (iStock)
“This discovery is so exciting and significant because it only gives us a better understanding of the inner workings of the disease, and it will allow researchers to adapt existing drugs to finally treat it,” added Ligresti.
The research team is now investigating drugs that could reduce the activity of the ETS2 gene, thus reducing the occurrence of IBD.
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They found that a group of existing anti-inflammatory medications called MEK inhibitors could do the trick.
“Although there have been many factors suggested as risks for IBD, there is currently no way to prevent the onset of IBD,” Ligresti said.
“The researchers finally showed that all autoimmune and inflammatory disease — including IBD — appear to be caused by a single gene, ETS2,” a researcher (not pictured) told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“We do know, however, that inflammatory pathways in the body are likely activated at least five years before the onset of symptoms of IBD.”
Ideally, he said, patients at increased risk could be given a drug during this window of time that could “nip IBD in the bud.”
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While more research is needed to find ways to deliver these MEK inhibitors to the target cells, Ligresti noted that this finding opens a “tantalizing door” to the future of very effective therapies to “shut off” inflammatory bowel disease.
The research team is now investigating drugs that could reduce the activity of the ETS2 gene, thus reducing the occurrence of IBD. (iStock)
James Lee, group leader of the Genetic Mechanisms of Disease Laboratory at the Crick, who led the research, agreed that better treatments are “urgently needed.”
“IBD usually develops in young people and can cause severe symptoms that disrupt education, relationships, family life and employment,” Lee said in a Crick press release.
“Using genetics as a starting point, we’ve uncovered a pathway that appears to play a major role in IBD and other inflammatory diseases,” he said.
“Excitingly, we’ve shown that this can be targeted therapeutically, and we’re now working on how to ensure this approach is safe and effective for treating people in the future.”
Inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, often occur early in life, experts say. (iStock)
Lauren Golightly, 27, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2018 after experiencing stomach cramps, bleeding and irregular bowel habits, according to the release.
“I’ve had a rocky road since diagnosis, with many hospital admissions, several different medications and even surgery to have a temporary stoma bag,” she said in the release.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
“I still experience flare-ups and can still spend quite a bit of time in hospital.”
She also said, “Learning about this research is so exciting and encouraging. I am hopeful this could potentially make a difference for myself and so many other hundreds of thousands of people living with IBD.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for additional comment.
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