Effect of Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Temperatures on Parkinson's Diseases Mortality Among Elderly Aged 60 Years and Above in China, 2013–2020

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder with significant negative health and economic implications for individuals, families and society. This study utilized an individual-level time-stratified case-crossover study design to investigate the relationship between ambient temperatures and PD mortality among the elderly in China. A combination of conditional logistic regression and distributed lag non-linear model was employed to analyze the data, and the mortality burden attributed to ambient temperatures was quantified. The study included a total of 59,397 deceased PD patients aged 60 years and above who died between 2013 and 2020. Findings revealed that the effects of extremely low temperature (−1°C) could persist for up to 14 days, while the impacts of extremely high temperature (30°C) were acute and last for 4 days and showing a significant harvest effect. For the overall population, the high temperatures significantly increased the risk of death, where low temperature did not. A lag0-14 cumulative odds ratios (COR) of extremely low temperature compared to the reference temperature (15°C) was 1.024 (95% CI: 0.971, 1.080). The lag0-14 COR of extremely high temperature was 1.206 (95% CI: 1.116, 1.304). Additionally, high temperatures attributed greater AF of 4.013 (95% eCI: 1.990, 5.894) comparing to low temperatures did of 0.762 (95% eCI: −0.624, 2.017). Significant differences were found across regions. No statistically significant differences were found between the sex and age. This nationwide study provides evidence for tailored interventions in specific regions and populations to reduce temperature-related PD mortality among the elderly in China.