Young adults just as susceptible to heat-related issues as older adults, per study

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- In recent years, health officials have stressed the risks that heat poses for older people, but a new study reveals it may not just be that demographic that should worry about hot weather.

According to the Science Advances journal, researchers found in Mexico that people between 18 and 35-years-old had nine times as many temperature-related deaths as those older than 50.

“But they didn't necessarily tie the causation to it, so it's got some limitations with regard to how much we can extrapolate from that,” Dr. Brad Gable, emergency physician at OhioHealth, said.

He looked into the study and said it’s hard to take generalizations from it, but it serves as an important reminder that heat affects everyone.

“The best treatment is actually prevention, so understanding when it's going to be hot, understanding when it's going to be humid, making sure you're hydrated, limiting exposure to heat, finding air conditioning or shade,” he said.

This is the time of year when the emergency room sees more visits from young people.

“Whether it's athletes, if it's workers who work out in the heat, even people who aren't necessarily outside but are in conditions where the temperature can elevate quite a bit in the humidity, so warehouses and people who are in distribution centers,” he said.

Most of those people working out in the heat are the younger age group. He said this should also serve as a reminder to employers to protect their workers.

“Making sure that we've got opportunities to allow people to cool themselves, stay hydrated and mitigate as much of that heat-related illness as possible is going to be really important,” Gable said.

He said it’s difficult to avoid the heat when working outside, but steps can be taken, like staying hydrated and taking breaks in cool areas.