Search for:
Search for:
Healthcare Professionals
Publications
Contact
News
Español
Magazine
Radio
*
Get Educated
What is MS?
A chronic neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system, comprised of the brain...
More Details
Educational Materials
Common Questions
Lending Library
Symptoms
Treatment Options
Additional Resources
Research
MS Awareness Month
Donate
Get Help
Health & Wellness Program
Get educational materials and referrals, as well as the opportunity to participate in various...
Learn More
Grants & Programs
Awareness Campaigns
Support Groups
Events
Lending Library
Additional Resources
Get Involved
MS Focus on Fashion
Join us for the signature event of MS Focus: the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, to be held at the...
Learn More
Advocacy
MS Focus on Fashion
Volunteer
Businesses
MS Research Trials
Supporter Program
Awareness Campaigns
Host an Event
Events
Awareness Month 2025
In this program we’ll navigate through the available treatment options and look at what the...
Learn more
Events Calendar
Health & Wellness
Fundraisers
Support
Web & Teleconferences
MS Education
Host an Event
About Us
Programs & Grants
More Details
Overview
Press Room
Leadership
Healthcare Advisory Board
Financial Statements
Our Mission
Careers at MS Focus
Affiliations
Brighter Tomorrow Grant
The Brighter Tomorrow Grant allows MS Focus to makes dreams come true for people with MS across...
/Get-Help/MSF-Programs-Grants/Brighter-Tomorrow-Grant
Shop
Privacy
Terms of Use
Site Map
Researchers examine extreme heat, multiple sclerosis link
August 09, 2021
New findings suggest clinical visits by multiple sclerosis patients increased during months linked to warmer weather and high humidity. The findings could guide region-specific strategies to manage MS, such as providing heat advisories and critical information on sudden changes in local weather to MS patients and healthcare providers.
In a recent study, researchers at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine found that between January 2010 and December 2013, the number of clinical visits by MS patients to the nation’s Veterans Affairs medical centers increased substantially during months associated with warmer weather, soaring humidity rates, and huge temperature swings, with visit rates varying across different regions of the country.
The highest frequency of MS clinic visits occurred in March (an 8.9 percent increase), followed by August (8.8 percent). Winter months, on the other hand, saw relatively low rates of MS clinic visits, with December (7.7 percent) recording the lowest.
Across geographic regions, the Pacific Northwest saw the highest MS clinic visit rate (67.6 per 10,000 patient visits), followed by the Northeast (64 per 10,000) and the subtropical U.S. (46.8 per 10,000 patients). The lowest MS clinic visit rates, Kumar noted, were observed in the Lower Midwest (15.1 MS clinic visits per 10,000 patients), followed by the Upper Midwest (24.6 per 10,000).
Temperature variability, or the rate at which temperature changes day-to-day or month-to-month within a single year, most likely had an effect on increased rates of clinical MS visits.
For the study, researchers relied on Veterans Affairs medical data, reviewing the clinical visits of a total of 27,290 patients with MS, many of whom had multiple doctor appointments at VA health care facilities during the study period. Most of the subjects were white, non-Hispanic males (75.2 percent), followed by Black males (18.3 percent).
The group also used meteorological data from the National Climactic Data Center for the period 2009 to 2014.
The researchers said patients with MS should consider regulating their indoor temperature and avoiding exposure to unstable outdoor weather conditions when possible. They stressed this study focused on the clinical visits of a specific group of patients — veterans — and further investigation into the link between weather-related heat and worsening symptoms of MS should be pursued.
The findings were published in the
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
.
MS Focus Lending Library
Books, DVDs, and CDs are available for loan, by mail across the United States.
Learn more