Hot and Dusty Days Increase Diabetes Hospitalization in Kuwait
Heat and particulate air pollution may increase risk of diabetes-related hospitalizations, according to a recent paper published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care. The study, co-authored by Barrak Alahmad, Research Fellow at the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is one of the first to look at the effects of multiple environmental exposures on the disease, and could have many implications for future research.
The findings indicate that high temperatures and dusty conditions are significant environmental factors that affect the health of patients. In Kuwait, where temperatures can reach up to 50°C (122°F) and dust storms are frequent, the research revealed that increased exposure to both heat and dust—either separately or together—heightens the risk of hospitalization for diabetes patients.
