Hyperthermia, heat stroke... Health services in greater demand during heatwaves

Emergency services were busier than usual during the heatwave. In regions affected by the orange and red heatwave alerts issued by Météo-France, extreme temperatures were recorded, sometimes accompanied by episodes of pollution.

A heatwave that required greater involvement from healthcare services in France: according to Public Health France, between Friday, August 8 and Monday, August 11, 45.3% of the metropolitan population was affected by at least one day of orange alert and at the same time the number of visits to emergency rooms and consultations with SOS Médecins in connection with the heatwave increased significantly.

Emergency services have received more than 100 visits per day due to the heatwave. The number of SOS Médecins consultations is also increasing, with around thirty consultations per day related to the heatwave.

"The increases are observed across all age groups and are more marked among 15-44 year-olds, for whom we are seeing a doubling of the number of emergency room visits," specifies Public Health France, with the number of visits rising from around 20 to the mid-10s. The majority of patients were suffering from hyperthermia or heatstroke.

The same observation applies to consultations with SOS Médecins, where this age group is over-represented. The consultations mainly concerned heatstroke.

The proportion of people over 75, among those most vulnerable to the heatwave, in total emergency department activity has remained stable, according to Public Health France. Those under 15 represent less than 10% of all emergency department visits and consultations.

However, while many people were keen to consult a doctor due to the effects of the heat, no notable change was observed over the same period in the use of emergency care for all causes or in hospitalizations for all causes.

These figures are still provisional, however, as the impact of the heatwave on healthcare recourse may be delayed by a few days. The same goes for excess mortality, which could be linked to the high temperatures: "the excess can only be estimated one month after the heatwave," warns Public Health France.

Following the last heatwave at the end of June and the beginning of July, at least 480 "excess" deaths were recorded from all causes. This excess mortality of 5.5% is not necessarily linked to the heat, but will be confirmed by the estimate of mortality specifically "attributable to the heat," in a summer assessment carried out after September 15, Public Health France announced.

However, the organization has already announced a sharp rise in the number of fatal drownings following the early summer heatwave, with 429 drownings, including 109 fatalities. This represents a very sharp 95% increase in drownings in 2025 compared to the same period last year.