Heat in Germany: This is how many people have to go to the hospital every year

Extreme heat is a health risk, as the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) also shows when looking at hospitals in Germany. Heatstroke, sunstroke, and other health problems caused by heat or sunlight resulted in an average of just over 1,400 hospital treatments per year between 2003 and 2023, the FSO announced in Wiesbaden on Tuesday.

However, in recent years, the number of hospital treatments due to heat and sunlight has tended to decline. This is partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, during which all hospital treatments declined. Increased public awareness of the health risks of heat may also be a reason for the decline, the statistics agency explained.

The Federal Statistical Office also estimates an average of 22 heat-related deaths per year. In the last recorded year, 2023, the number of deaths was significantly above average at 37.

However, the agency added that heat damage and sunstroke are rarely identified as the direct and primary cause of death in official statistics. Skin cancer is also not included. However, very high temperatures cause mortality to rise overall, as in many cases the combination of heat and pre-existing conditions increases the risk of death. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of deaths has often risen in the past during weeks characterized by heat waves. The Robert Koch Institute recently estimated 3,000 cases in which people died due to heat.

An above-average number of hospital treatments due to heat typically occur in years with many so-called hot days, with temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or more. In 2003, 2015, and 2018, the German Weather Service recorded the highest average number of hot days across Germany since the 1950s.

The highest number of heat injuries treated in hospital occurred in 2003, with 2,600 cases on 19 heat days, followed by just over 2,300 heat-related hospital treatments on 17.6 heat days in 2015. In 2018, around 1,600 heat-related hospital treatments were recorded on 20.4 heat days.

RND/epd/dpa