Attributable all-cause mortality during heatwaves in South Korea, 2006-2018

Lim Youn-Hee, Lee HyunJi
Institute of Environmental Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center
Hong Yun-Chul
Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine

Heatwave not only can cause heat-caused diseases including heat stroke and heat exhaustion, but also could exacerbate existing diseases including cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we attempted to estimate excess deaths due to heatwave using all-cause mortality and meteorological data in South Korea. The excess deaths were computed based on relative risk of mortality at or above threshold temperature. All-cause mortality counts for 2017-2018 were estimated by this modelling data of 2016 because mortality data of the recent two years were not available. In 2018, 790 deaths were estimated as the excess deaths during heatwave episodes. Although we were not able to identify the causality for individual deaths, we ascertained direct or indirect health impacts of heat wave in the population. Therefore, future studies and systematic monitoring of health impacts of heat wave are warranted.

Keywords: Health impact, Temperature, Climate, Attributable mortality, Heat wave