Comparing approaches for studying the effects of climate extremes – a case study of hospital admissions in Sweden during an extremely warm summer

摘要

BackgroundHealth effects induced by climate, weather and climatic change may act directly or indirectly on human physiology. The future total burden of global warming is uncertain, but in some areas and for specific outcomes, mortality and morbidity are likely to increase. One likely effect of global warming is an increasing number of extreme weather events, such as floods, storms and heat waves. The excess numbers of specific health outcomes attributable to climate-induced events can be estimated. This paper compares approaches for estimating excess numbers of outcomes associated with climate extremes, exemplified by a case study of hospital admissions during the extremely warm summer of 2006 in southern Sweden.