Hospitalization risk and burden for cause-specific cardiovascular diseases following tropical cyclones: A multicountry study

Abstract

The indirect health risks of tropical cyclones (TCs), the costliest climate extremes, remain unclear, with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) being a major contributor. We applied two-stage time-series analysis to 6.54 million CVD hospitalizations across six countries/territories (Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam) between 2000 and 2019 to quantify the long-term risks and burden of CVD hospitalizations following TCs. Hospitalization risks for cause-specific CVDs consistently increased following TC exposure, generally peaking around 2 months postexposure and dissipating by 6 months. Overall, each additional TC day was associated with a 13% (95% confidence interval, 7 to 19%) increase in CVD hospitalizations in 6 months following TCs. Particularly high TC-attributable burden was found for ischemic heart diseases and stroke, especially among males, individuals aged 20 to 59 years, and those with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation. The TC-attributable proportions of CVD hospitalizations showed decreasing trends in less deprived populations and increasing trends in more deprived populations from 2000 to 2019.