Cold-related illnesses surged 49% this winter due to severe cold... "Elderly are vulnerable"

Severe cold weather stock photo. Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

This winter, the number of patients with cold-related illnesses surged by 49% compared to the previous year. This is attributed to colder-than-usual weather and increased outdoor activities following the lifting of COVID-19 quarantine measures.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced the results of the cold-related illness emergency room surveillance system for the '22~23 season (December 1, 2022 ? February 28, 2023)' on the 7th. A total of 447 cold-related illness cases were reported through the surveillance system this winter, with 12 deaths. Compared to the previous year, the number of patients increased by 49.0%, and deaths rose by 33.3%.

The prolonged severe cold this winter was identified as the cause. The number of "cold wave days," defined as days when the morning minimum temperature was below minus 12 degrees Celsius, increased by 14.8% compared to the previous year, and the average daily minimum temperature decreased by 0.1 degrees.

Patients with cold-related illnesses mainly visited emergency rooms with symptoms of hypothermia (67.1%) and frostbite (30.4%). Particularly vulnerable were the elderly, with those aged 80 and above accounting for the highest number at 102 patients (22.8%), followed by those in their 60s with 81 patients (18.1%), 50s with 75 patients (16.8%), and 70s with 48 patients (10.7%). Overall, seniors aged 65 and older made up 42.3% of all patients.

Annual operation results of the cold-related illness emergency room surveillance system. [Data provided by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency]

The number of reported patients per 100,000 population by region was highest in Gangwon with 4.0, followed by Chungnam with 1.7, Chungbuk with 1.6, Jeonnam with 1.5, and Gyeongbuk with 1.3. The most common location of occurrence was roadside areas with 111 cases (24.8%), and the most frequent time of occurrence was between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. with 80 cases (17.9%).

All 12 reported estimated deaths from cold-related illnesses were due to suspected hypothermia. The average age of the estimated deceased was 73 years, and 83% of the deaths were among seniors aged 65 and older with underlying health conditions.

The KDCA has operated the cold-related illness emergency room surveillance system every winter since 2013 to raise awareness and promote preventive activities against cold-related illnesses caused by winter cold waves.

Director Ji Young-mi stated, "As this surveillance result shows, many patients and deaths occur among seniors aged 65 and older. Considering this, we will refine health guidelines for the elderly and work with related ministries to strengthen responses for climate-health vulnerable groups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.