2024 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Objective:

This study aimed to comprehensively review and meta-analyze observational studies investigating the relationship between climate change and neurological health.

Background:

With the escalating evidence of global warming, there is a pressing need to comprehend the effects of rising temperatures on neurological health in order to offset potential increases in disease prevalence, mortality rates, and strain on healthcare providers and systems. It falls to neurologists and neuroscientists to scrutinize these potential shifts meticulously, and to quantify their impact to better equip patients and healthcare infrastructures.

Design/Methods:

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines across the databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Google Scholar up to September 2023. We used standard meta-analytic methods to pool the results across studies and assessed heterogeneity using I^{^}2 statistics after identification of relevant variables that were extracted from the selected papers.

Results:

Eight studies were identified that specifically elaborated on the impact of temperature fluctuations on neurological disorders, namely multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and dementia. These studies consistently demonstrated a slightly moderate to moderately high impact. The results suggested a substantial link between temperature variability and the incidence and severity of these neurological conditions.

Conclusions:

Our findings underscored the significant, but under-recognized, impact of climate change on neurological health. More rigorous studies are needed to further delineate this relationship and to guide public health strategies aimed at mitigating these effects.