Introduction:

The alteration of the planetary climate, attributed directly or indirectly to human activity, which modifies the composition of the world atmosphere and adds to the natural variability of the climate, is known as global climate change. Its direct and indirect health effects, already present, will disturb most populations in the coming decades and put the lives and well-being of billions of people at risk.

Objective:

To describe, based on a review, the main risks to human health derived from the greater frequency and intensity of episodes of thermal stress derived from climate change.

Methods:

A bibliographic review was carried out regarding the effects of temperature on human health, as well as its influence on general mortality, in the period 2008 to 2021, in the Scopus, PubMed/Medline, SciELO, Ebsco, LiLACS, as well as other information sources and resources available on the Internet. The controlled vocabulary descriptors in Health Sciences were used.

Results:

32 publications on the influence of climate and its changes on human health were recovered, which generally stated that high temperatures were related to the increase in mortality, mainly due to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and respiratory diseases, and have become a significant contributor to the burden of disease.

Conclusions:

Extreme temperatures increase acute morbidity and mortality, mainly in risk groups. The promotion of adequate hydration and the use of adequate clothing will help people in the prevention of conditions caused by extreme temperatures, establishing individual actions to protect against the effects of the greater frequency and intensity of heat stress events associated with climate change, to incorporate into daily life.

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