ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
This article is part of the Research TopicEnvironment and Healthcare, a two-way traffic: Challenges, Impacts, and Sustainable SolutionsView all 16 articles
Impact of Cold Waves on Diabetes-Related Morbidity and Mortality: a meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Korea University, Seongbuk-gu, Republic of Korea
- 2Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemun-gu, Republic of Korea
- 3Dongguk University - Wise Campus, Gyeongju-si, Republic of Korea
- 4Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seodaemun-gu, Republic of Korea
- 5Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea
- 6University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Songpa-gu, Republic of Korea
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Introduction: Extreme weather events, such as cold waves, pose health risks to individuals with diabetes mellitus. While heat-related health impacts are well-documented, the effects of cold waves remain underexplored. We aimed to review and quantify the health risks associated with cold wave exposure among patients with diabetes. Methods: A meta-analysis, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, was conducted by searching PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases from inception up to August 2023. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria for assessing diabetes-related morbidity and mortality risks associated with cold wave exposure. A random-effects model was used to account for heterogeneity. Results: The meta-analysis revealed a 40% increase in diabetes-related mortality risk (relative risk: 1.40, 95% confidence interval: 1.25–1.58) and a slightly elevated morbidity risk (relative risk: 1.27, 95% confidence interval: 0.99–1.63) during cold waves. Risk variation across studies suggests the influence of environmental and healthcare disparities. Conclusions: Cold wave exposure significantly increases diabetes-related health risks, highlighting the need for enhanced public health strategies. Further research is needed to address the gaps in understanding cold wave morbidity impacts and related socioeconomic factors.
Keywords: Environmental Exposure, Climate Change, weather, Mortality, Morbidity, Vulnerability Assessment, public health policy
Received: 31 Aug 2025; Accepted: 21 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chung, Kim, Lim, Kim, PARK and Oh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: In-Hwan Oh, parenchyme@gmail.com
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