Having experienced a major flood event might make elderly people more vulnerable to hospitalisation due to skin, nervous and musculoskeleton system diseases, according to a study that analysed over a 17-year database of insurance claims and floods in the US.

Findings published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal show that on average, hospitalisation rates remained high by three per cent for skin conditions and 2.5 per cent for nervous system problems during and following floods.

Risks of being hospitalised for conditions affecting joints and muscles, and physical injuries and poisonings remained elevated by over one per cent, said researchers, including those from Harvard University's school of public health.