EXPOSURE to extreme heat and cold is linked to more emergency department visits among people living with dementia, according to preliminary research presented today at the European Academy of Neurology Congress 2026, with potential explanations ranging from increased physiological stress on a frail body to possible acceleration of neurodegenerative disease processes.
Climate Stress and the Neurological Health
As climate change makes severe weather more frequent and intense, understanding its effect on people with neurological disorders is becoming a pressing public health concern. Yet little is known about how temperature extremes influence the short-term health of those living with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, the gap this study set out to investigate.
Study Design and Temperature Exposure
Researchers from the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna analysed a decade of emergency department (ED) records from 2015 to 2024, covering 13,680 people with dementia and 2,755 with Parkinson’s disease in the Bologna municipality. They tested whether exposure to extreme temperatures, defined against the local distribution, raised the risk of an ED visit in the days that followed.
Heat and Cold Both Raise Risk
Among people with dementia, extreme heat of roughly 29.7°C was tied to an 11% rise in ED visits within three days (RR 1.11; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.19), climbing to 19% in those aged 70 to 90 (RR 1.19; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.29). Extreme cold near 1.5°C produced a delayed effect, peaking at a 14% rise around 10 days later (RR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26). No clear association emerged for Parkinson’s disease, though a possible heat-related trend warrants further study. The team also saw a harvesting effect, where surges in attendance were followed by quieter periods, suggesting the weather may simply bring health events forward.
Protecting Vulnerable Patients
Lead author Dr Luca Vignatelli said the concentration of healthcare demand during temperature extremes could carry organisational consequences for health services. He suggested people with dementia may be especially exposed because cognitive impairment can blunt their perception of risk and their uptake of protective behaviours. On the biology, he proposed two routes to harm: “The first is an indirect effect, whereby physiological stress is induced in a frail body.” The second, he noted, is the less certain possibility that extreme temperatures accelerate the disease’s underlying mechanisms.
The authors, whose work forms part of the wider MANDEA project, called for accessible climate shelters, reduced social isolation, and proactive care, including telemedicine, to shield vulnerable patients during periods of extreme temperatures.
Reference
Vignatelli L et al. Impact of extreme temperatures on emergency department visits among persons with neurological disorders. Abstract A-26-18900. EAN Congress, 27-30 June, 2026.
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