Cold linked to multiple chronic illnesses across Chinese cities
Cold relative to local norms was linked to higher rates of multiple chronic conditions in 92.3% of city-and-year observations.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 23,725 adults aged 45 years or older
- What changed:
- Multiple chronic conditions were more common with cold relative to local norms in 92.3% of city-and-year observations
- The catch:
- Differences in health and living conditions between cities may contribute to cold–disease links
- In the record:
- The 52nd paper on cold with results in people; 128 on record in all.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Data from 23,725 adults aged 45 or older in 157 Chinese cities were linked to weather records in an observational analysis of repeated surveys from 2016, 2018 and 2020. Researchers measured each city’s prevalence of multimorbidity, meaning at least two of 13 chronic conditions. They defined local cold against each city’s temperatures in 2011–2015 and examined three-year windows before surveys.
Earlier cold relative to local norms showed the clearest city-level climate pattern. Its association with multimorbidity was stronger in northern and northeastern cities. A separate individual-level analysis also linked cold defined by a fixed temperature threshold to a higher number of chronic conditions.
Why it matters
For aging populations, the findings support tailoring cold-season monitoring to local climates and targeting follow-up care for chronic conditions.
Caveats
Differences in health and living conditions between cities may have contributed to the cold–disease links. The surveys covered adults aged 45 or older in China, not younger adults.
The paper
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Nov 2026, CC BY-NC-ND
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