Questão 31 - FAMEMA 2023/2

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    Heatwaves have a huge impact on our physical and mental health. Doctors usually fear them, as emergency rooms quickly fill up with patients suffering from dehydration, delirium and fainting. Recent studies suggest at least a 10% rise in hospital emergency room visits on days when temperatures reach or exceed the top 5% of the normal temperature range for a given location.

    Soaring temperatures can also make symptoms worse in those with mental health conditions. Heatwaves — as well as other weather events such as floods and fires — have been linked to a rise in depressive symptoms in people with depression, and a rise in anxiety symptoms in those with generalised anxiety disorder — a disorder that makes people feel anxious most of the time.

    A Boston University study found that those in rooms without air conditioning during a heatwave performed 13% worse than their peers in cognitive tests and had 13% slower reaction time. When people are not thinking clearly due to heat, it is more likely they will become frustrated, and this, in turn, can lead to aggression. There is strong evidence linking extreme heat with a rise in violent crime. Even just a one or two degrees Celsius increase in ambient temperatures can lead to a 3-5% spike in assaults.

(Laurence Wainwright e Eileen Neumann. https://theconversation.com, 12.07.2022. Adaptado.)

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