Excess out-of-hospital cardiac arrests due to ambient temperatures in South Korea from 2008 to 2018

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a notable public health issue with negative outcomes, such as high mortality and aftereffects. Additionally, the adverse effects of extreme temperatures on health have become more important under climate change; however, few studies have investigated the relationship between temperature and OHCA. In this study, we examined the association between temperature and OHCA and its underlying risk factors. We conducted a two-stage time-series analysis using a Poisson regression model with a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) and meta-analysis, based on a nationwide dataset from South Korea (2008-2018). We found that 17.4% of excess OHCA was attributed to cold, while 0.9% was attributed to heat. Based on central estimates, excess OHCA attributed to cold were more prominent in the population with hypertension comorbidity (31.0%) than the populations with diabetes (24.3%) and heart disease (17.4%). Excess OHCA attributed to heat were larger in the populations with diabetes (2.7%) and heart disease comorbidity (2.7%) than the population with hypertension (1.2%) based on central estimates. Furthermore, the time-varying excess OHCA attributed to cold have decreased over time, and although those of heat did not show a certain pattern during the study period, there was a weak increasing tendency since 2011. In conclusion, we found that OHCAs were associated with temperature, and cold temperatures showed a greater impact than that of hot temperatures. The effects of cold and hot temperatures on OHCA were more evident in the populations with hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases, compared to the general population. In addition, the impacts of heat on OHCA increased in recent years, while those of cold temperatures decreased. Our results provide scientific evidence for policymakers to mitigate the OHCA burden attributed to temperature.

Automated summary

This study examined the association between temperature and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) using a time-series analysis. The results showed that cold temperatures had a greater impact on OHCA than hot temperatures. The effects of temperature on OHCA were more evident in populations with hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases. Additionally, the impacts of heat on OHCA increased in recent years, while those of cold temperatures decreased. These findings provide scientific evidence for policymakers to mitigate the burden of OHCA attributed to temperature.