A review covering several neurological diseases
The authors searched PubMed/MEDLINE and SciELO for studies published between 2011 and 2026. They selected 13 peer-reviewed articles for a qualitative synthesis examining links between rising temperatures and the onset and worsening of neurological diseases.
The conditions covered include epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The abstract does not specify the total number of participants, follow-up periods or comparators used in each study. Nor does it provide an overall numerical risk estimate.
A sign of vulnerability, not a uniform effect
The review reports an association between heat exposure, increased hospital admissions and acute worsening of symptoms. However, it notes geographical and methodological differences, particularly for stroke and epileptic seizure frequency. The findings therefore do not point to an identical risk across all diseases.
The abstract cites Uhthoff’s phenomenon in multiple sclerosis as an example of heat-associated symptom worsening. It also mentions impaired autonomic thermoregulation in Parkinson’s disease. These factors help explain a possible vulnerability, but do not by themselves demonstrate that warming causes these diseases.
What this review tells us
This review draws attention to people already living with neurological diseases when exposed to heat stress. Based on the available abstract, it cannot quantify their individual risk or define a common temperature threshold.
The key distinction remains between the worsening of an existing disease and the onset of a new one. Although the review examines both questions, its abstract does not provide findings detailed enough to draw separate conclusions for each condition.
Limitations to keep in mind
The full text was not consulted. The synthesis is qualitative and reports differences between studies. The abstract does not detail their sample sizes, comparators, durations or methodological quality. Funding and conflicts of interest could not be verified.
What we can take away
Heat is associated with the worsening of several neurological diseases in this review. The magnitude of the risk and causality remain insufficiently clarified in the available abstract.
Sources and provenance
- The impact of rising global temperatures on neurological diseases.
Source date: 2026-10-27.
Journal Article, Systematic Review · Résumé PubMed uniquement, texte intégral non consulté