An analysis of surveillance data on cold-related illnesses from the past five years by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) revealed that more than half of the cases occurred in adults aged 60 and over.
Cases where dementia was reported as a comorbidity accounted for 12.2% of all cold-related illnesses, highlighting the particularly high risk for seniors with cognitive decline.
On the 20th, as the strongest cold wave of the year is forecast to hit the Korean Peninsula, the KDCA warned that the elderly need to take special precautions against cold-related illnesses.
Cold-related illnesses are conditions that can harm the human body as a direct result of cold, with hypothermia and frostbite being representative examples.
Since 2013, the KDCA has been operating the 'Cold-Related Illness Emergency Room Surveillance System' annually. It monitors health damage from cold waves through 512 emergency medical institutions nationwide and provides daily information on key occurrence characteristics.
A total of 1,914 cases of cold-related illnesses were reported over the last five seasons (from the 2020-2021 season to the 2024-2025 season). Of these, 1,071 cases (about 56%) were in people aged 60 and over. Additionally, there were 234 cases (12.2% of the total) where dementia was reported as a comorbidity, confirming that the risk of cold-related illnesses is particularly high among seniors with cognitive decline.
An analysis of the types of cold-related illnesses by age group showed that the rate of hypothermia was high among the elderly, while younger age groups showed a relatively higher rate of localized cold-related illnesses (such as frostbite and chilblains). This is likely because the elderly have a reduced ability to regulate body temperature and may have a delayed awareness of and response to the cold, whereas younger people have relatively more injuries from cold exposure during outdoor activities.
An analysis of occurrence locations showed that for all age groups, a high proportion of incidents occurred on the roadside. However, for the elderly, the proportion of incidents occurring at home and around their residences was relatively high, while for younger age groups, the proportion was high in outdoor activity locations such as mountains, ski resorts, and river or beach sides.
KDCA Commissioner Yim Seung-gwan stated, “Similar to the analysis of the past five years, the proportion of elderly individuals in this year's cold-related illness surveillance data is high.” He urged people to wear warm clothing, including winter clothes, hats, and gloves, when going outside and particularly called for careful observation by guardians of the elderly and those with underlying conditions like dementia, as well as strict adherence to health guidelines for preventing cold-related illnesses.