In a state plagued by heat-related illnesses, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tool can empower Texas physicians and patients to reduce health problems from dangerous temperatures.
Informed by data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service, the newly launched HeatRisk dashboard forecasts risk of heat-induced illness and provides air quality guidance, searchable by ZIP code.
Hilary Fairbrother, MD, a Houston professor of emergency medicine and member of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Emergency Medical Services and Trauma, says the tool could prove useful to physicians and patients, especially as heat-related illnesses are a top cause of weather-related deaths.
Patients on certain medications are also at higher risk of heat-related illness, she says.
For those purposes, the HeatRisk dashboard links to a clinician guidance summary and chart that details specific medication interactions that can contribute to heat sensitivity – among them antihypertensives, psychiatric and antiseizure medications, analgesics, and some antihistamines, for instance.
HeatRisk also links to lists of factors that put certain populations at higher risk, such as older patients, children and teens with asthma or other chronic conditions, and pregnant patients, plus clinical overviews.
The tracker accounts for humidity in how it assesses ZIP codes, with a color-coded, five-level scale that spans categories bookended by “no risk” and “extreme.”
“Every year we lose children who are left in cars, strapped in seatbelts, who can’t open the door. Anyone who is less mobile and less active, including small children and the elderly, are more likely to fall victim to heat-related illness. Elderly patients also are more likely to have multiple medical problems that make them more susceptible to heat,” Dr. Fairbrother cautioned.
“It’s nice to have this resource to really help people gauge their activities or ... try to modify their behavior as much as they are able to.”
Jessica Ridge
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1395