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# Heat exposure raises COPD mortality by 26% and morbidity by 5% across 36 studies
- URL: https://www.coios.me/heat-exposure-raises-copd-mortality-by-26-and-morbidity-by/
- Published: 2026-09-15T21:40:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T21:40:10.000Z
- Description: A meta-analysis of 36 observational studies found heat exposure associated with a pooled risk ratio of 1.15 for COPD outcomes overall, 1.26 for mortality and 1.05 for morbidity, with heatwave and threshold definitions giving larger estimates than continuous temperature measures.
- Author: Daniel Ryan
- Tags: Healthcare today, Environment: air, heat, cold, World, #peer-reviewed, #refines, #item

Thirty-six observational studies of heat exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were pooled using a three-level random-effects model to separate morbidity from mortality and to test how the definition of heat affected the estimate. The pooled risk ratio was 1.15 overall, 1.26 for mortality and 1.05 for morbidity. Heatwave and threshold-based definitions both yielded 1.21 against 1.05 for continuous temperature, and adjustment for air pollution did not materially change the associations.

*Why it is interesting: The gap between mortality and morbidity estimates, and the dependence of the effect size on how heat is defined, bears directly on how heat-attributable deaths are counted.*

Source

[International journal of environmental health research, 2026-09-14](https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2026.2734444?ref=coios.me)

DOI

10.1080/09603123.2026.2734444

Type

Peer-reviewed article

Design

Systematic review and three-level random-effects meta-analysis of 36 observational studies of heat exposure and COPD outcomes

Verdict

Refines prior evidence

Driver

[Environment: air, heat, cold](https://www.coios.me/d-environment/)