Extreme cold usually deadlier than extreme heat, data shows
At least five deaths across three different counties in Ohio already this year are being investigated as hypothermia-related. Data from the Hamilton County Coroner's Office shows that in Cincinnati, cold is deadlier than heat.
Between 2020 and 2024, 28 Cincinnati area residents died from hypothermia, which usually is caused by the cold. That's more than twice the number of those who died from hyperthermia, the medical term for when someone's body overheats.
"There are similar risk factors for both," Joseph Kiesler, MD, recently told The Cincinnati Enquirer. He's a professor of family and community medicine in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Kiesler has treated unhoused patients for more than a decade. He said using alcohol, old age, dehydration and malnutrition are factors that leave some people more exposed to the elements than others.
Potential victims of last month's snowstorm and subzero temperatures hailed from Hamilton, Warren and Clermont Counties, and ranged in age from from 35 to 94.
Three of the victims were not unhoused, with the exception of a 45-year-old man in Felicity, who was found unresponsive in his van.
The housing status of one unnamed man found face down in the snow behind Norwood's Skyline Chili is unknown, according to the Norwood Police Department.
Featured image at top: iStock/MarianVejcik.
Latest UC News
- UC-backed startups receive funding from $1.4 million state grantTwo startups based on UC technology and supported by the UC Tech Transfer team and the 1819 Venture Lab were awarded $200,000 each from Ohio’s Technology Validation and Startup Fund.
- Esports trends in 2025: Gaming predictions for the year aheadThe Esports industry is expected to grow and evolve in 2025, so we asked experts at the University of Cincinnati for their predictions on gaming trends and video games on the rise.
- Co-op vs. internship explained: What you need to knowWhat are the benefits of co-op vs an internship? Both offer hands-on work experience for students, but they differ in format, focus and duration. Learn more about which one is for you.
- ‘I’m on the right path’With hard work, a focus on paying it forward and the support of mentors along the way, University of Cincinnati fourth-year pharmacy student Daisy Asabere’s path has set her up for a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry.
- UC engineer applies Covid lessons to cancerA chemical engineering professor at the University of Cincinnati is developing new ways to deliver treatments for infectious diseases and cancer using the technology found in COVID-19 vaccines.
- Black FUTURE month underway with something for allGet ready for a month full of celebrations, from galas to thought-provoking conversations to delicious food! Black FUTURE Month, sponsored through UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, is underway to observe Black History Month.