Flooding in Key Haven attributable to hurricane Wilma on 10/24/2005. Credit score: Marc Averette/Wikipedia
New analysis analyzing 17 years of knowledge from Medicare hospitalization claims and main flooding occasions finds elevated charges of pores and skin ailments, nervous system ailments, and accidents or poisonings amongst adults aged 65 and older following main floods.
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan College of Public Well being, Ohio State College, College of Wisconsin–Madison, and Columbia College Mailman College of Public Well being printed the findings within the journal Lancet Planetary Well being.
Whereas previous analysis has been restricted to a single flood or a small set of well being outcomes, with little info on older people, the brand new examine offers sturdy, generalizable findings that may inform flood preparation in high-income international locations.
The researchers matched Medicare hospitalization information from 2000 to 2016, representing adults aged 65 years and older, with satellite-based, high-resolution historic flood maps from the World Flood Database. They estimated relative proportion modifications in hospitalization charges for 13 illness classes inside 4 weeks following flood publicity. These included 72 vital flood occasions and over 4.5 million hospitalizations.
They noticed elevated charges of hospitalization on common throughout and following flood publicity for pores and skin ailments (3.1%), nervous system ailments (2.5%), musculoskeletal system ailments (1.3%), and accidents or poisoning (1.1%).
Communities with decrease proportions of Black residents skilled worsened results for nervous system ailments (7.6%), whereas pores and skin ailments (6.1%) and psychological health-related impacts (3.0%) have been extra pronounced for areas with bigger percentages of Black residents throughout flood publicity.
Older adults are notably susceptible to flood-related well being impacts due to their weakened immune techniques, restricted mobility, restricted means to deal with local weather hazards because of pre-existing situations corresponding to dementia, and poor entry to medical companies for routine appointments.
Pores and skin ailments could also be the results of publicity to polluted water sources, crowded shelters, and poor sanitation. Seizures might come up from traumatic mind accidents sustained throughout floods. For people with epilepsy, flood occasions can induce stress and fatigue which may end in poor seizure management.
Musculoskeletal system hospitalizations might end result from underlying situations and delays in in search of care, in addition to accidents from flood clean-up. Distinct patterns of pre-existing situations, housing high quality, and entry to emergency sources might clarify why some well being impacts of flooding are extra acute for Black communities.
One other doable clarification is variations in entry to care and implicit biases within the coding of illness situations between racial teams.
“The findings of this study provide crucial new insights into the diverse, and previously underappreciated, health consequences of floods in older adults and can guide flood-specific resilience-building efforts to protect public health under climate change,” the researchers write.
“Focused outreach and sturdy evacuation planning for susceptible populations, corresponding to older people, together with community-based alert techniques, are essential to minimizing well being impacts.
“Hospital infrastructure should be equipped to function during flood events by moving essential components above flood levels, and mobile medicine units and telemedicine can serve as effective alternatives if access to hospitals is temporarily eliminated. Drones can also deliver essential medical supplies to flood-affected hospitals or help identify safe evacuation routes in real time to guide emergency responders,” they conclude.
Extra info:
Sarika Aggarwal et al, Extreme flooding and cause-specific hospitalisation amongst older adults within the USA: a retrospective matched cohort evaluation, The Lancet Planetary Well being (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(25)00132-9
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Columbia College’s Mailman College of Public Well being
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Massive examine uncovers particular impacts of flooding on older grownup well being (2025, July 31)
retrieved 31 July 2025
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