{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T06:14:10Z","timestamp":1792476850087,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Armed Forces Medical Services","issue":"6","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Saudi Medical Journal"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: To describe the demographic profiles, clinical characteristics, and meteorological context of heat-related illnesses among Hajj pilgrims in 2023.\nMethods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 1,129 pilgrims diagnosed with HRIs across healthcare facilities in Mecca, Mina, and Arafat. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the Hajj Health Information System, while temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall records were obtained from the National Center for Meteorology.\nResults: Heat exhaustion (48.2%) and heatstroke (37.4%) were the most common diagnoses, with 24.9% of the cases requiring hospitalization. Males represented 55.4% of cases and accounted for 51.2% of hospitalizations. Pilgrims aged 55\u201374 years comprised 64.2% of severe cases, while Egyptians were disproportionately affected (32.2% of cases). Meteorological data revealed high temperatures reaching 44\u00b0C during the Day of Arafah, accompanied by low humidity (14%) and moderate wind speeds of approximately 7 km\/h, with no rainfall (0 mm).\nConclusion: The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions, including heat-adaptive rituals, real-time environmental monitoring, and age-specific cooling strategies, to protect pilgrims as climate change intensifies. This study provides a benchmark for future research on mass gatherings in warming environments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.15537\/1658-3175.8790","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,16]],"date-time":"2026-05-16T17:33:38Z","timestamp":1778952818000},"page":"1062-1070","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Demographic Profiles, Clinical Characteristics, and Meteorological Context of Heat-Related Illnesses among Hajj Pilgrims in 2023"],"prefix":"10.15537","volume":"47","author":[{"given":"Ghadah","family":"Alsaleh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Centre for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Majed","family":"Alsalamah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; AND Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fahad","family":"Alamri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Centre for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatemah","family":"Alsaleh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical intern at King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anas","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Centre for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56029","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]},"container-title":["Saudi Medical Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T09:26:56Z","timestamp":1792142816000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/smj.researchcommons.org\/journal\/vol47\/iss6\/11"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.15537\/1658-3175.8790","relation":{},"ISSN":["1658-3175"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1658-3175","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]}}}