Climate change is turning up heat on health service

THE Irish health service is at risk of being overwhelmed by a spike in neurological diseases as a result of rising temperatures due to climate change, according to a new study.

- BY DARRAGH MCDONAGH

Migraines increase in high temperatures

A group of doctors have called for urgent planning and the introduction of emergency protocols as they highlighted the impact of climate change on conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and multiple sclerosis.

They said climate change had led to a significant increase in global temperatures and the frequency of extreme heat events, noting that the past decade had been the warmest on record in Ireland.

There is growing evidence that the incidence and severity of many common neurological conditions are affected by climate change, the neurologists wrote in an article published in the latest issue of the Irish Journal of Medical Science.

They warned that higher temperatures could exacerbate existing neurological conditions and result in increased presentations, placing unsustainable demand on Irish health services.