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Review
. 2025 Sep 16:70:1608592.
doi: 10.3389/ijph.2025.1608592. eCollection 2025.

The Spectrum of Heat-Related Diseases - A Meta-Review

J Thiel  1 , A Seim  1 , B Stephan  1 , M Sedlmayr  1 , E Prochaska  1 , E Henke  1
Affiliations
Review

The Spectrum of Heat-Related Diseases - A Meta-Review

J Thiel et al. Int J Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: Global warming affects health and puts a strain on the healthcare system. Prediction models can forecast healthcare demand and optimize resource allocation. The aim of this study was to identify heat-related diseases and their influencing factors necessary for the development of such a prediction model.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase and Medline databases. The focus was on reviews of heat-related diseases published within the past 30 years in the German and English languages. A qualitative synthesis of the results was conducted.

Results: The literature search produced a total of 737 results. A total of 15 reviews were included in the synthesis. As a result of the synthesis, a spectrum of heat-related diseases such as electrolyte imbalances, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, respiratory disease, mental health issues, infectious diseases and other diseases were identified. Furthermore, specific climatic and other influencing factors were determined.

Conclusion: The meta-review highlighted a wide range of diseases that can occur in connection with heat, along with their influencing factors. The findings can serve as the basis for developing preventive measures such as a prediction model in order to better forecast the resource load due to acute heat.

Keywords: climate change; climatic factors; global warming; heat-related diseases; review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flowchart with an overview of the identified, included and excluded studies (Dresden, Germany, 2024) [36].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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