Key findings:
- Children from low-opportunity neighborhoods — areas lacking access to quality education, safe housing, clean air, healthy food, and health care — were more likely to be affected.
- Rhabdomyolysis cases led to hospital admission 63% of the time.
- Other heat-related illnesses resulted in ED discharge 96% of the time.
- Compared to rhabdomyolysis cases, children with other heat-related conditions were more likely to be under age 12, Hispanic, publicly insured or living in very low-opportunity areas.
DALLAS — A new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center reveals a sharp increase in emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses among children during the summer months, with nearly one in five cases requiring hospitalization.
The research, published in Academic Pediatrics, examined emergency department data from Children’s Health campuses in Dallas and Plano between May and September from 2012 to 2023. It found that the proportion of visits related to heat illnesses rose by 170% over the period, with spikes in patient volume closely tied to hotter temperatures.
| WATCH NEXT: Populations vulnerable to extreme heat
“As extreme summer temperatures become more frequent, we’re seeing a rise in heat-related illnesses among children,” study leader Andrew Yu, M.D., a pediatric hospitalist at Children’s Health and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Pediatric Residency Program at UT Southwestern, said.
The findings highlight growing concerns over how increasingly extreme heat is affecting children’s health in Texas and beyond, especially as climate trends continue to push summer temperatures higher.
Unlike earlier studies that primarily focused on adults or high school athletes, little is known about how heat impacts the wider pediatric population. Children are especially vulnerable due to their physiology and behavior. They have a higher surface-area-to-body-mass ratio, produce less sweat and may struggle to recognize when they need to rest or rehydrate.
To assess pediatric heat illness risk, researchers analyzed over 2 million emergency department visits, identifying more than 500 cases related to extreme heat, heat exposure, or rhabdomyolysis, which was examined separately due to its distinct nature.
