Influence of air pressure, humidity, solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed on ambulatory visits due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Bavaria, Germany
- 8 February 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in International Journal of Biometeorology
- Vol. 56 (1), 137-143
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-011-0405-x
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. The disease is often aggravated by periods of increased symptoms requiring medical attention. Among the possible triggers for these exacerbations, meteorological factors are under consideration. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of various meteorological factors on the health status of patients with COPD. For this purpose, the daily number of ambulatory care visits due to COPD was analysed in Bavaria, Germany, for the years 2006 and 2007. The meteorological factors were provided by the model at the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). For the multivariate analysis, a generalised linear model was used. In Bavaria, an increase of 1% of daily consultations (about 103 visits per day) was found to be associated with a change of 0.72 K temperature, 209.55 of log air surface pressure in Pa, and a decrease of 1% of daily consultations with 1,453,763 Ws m2 of solar radiation. There also seem to be regional differences between north and south Bavaria; for instance, the effect of wind speed and specific humidity with a lag of 1 day were only significant in the north. This study could contribute to a tool for the prevention of exacerbations. It also serves as a model for the further evaluation of the impact of meteorological factors on health, and could easily be applied to other diseases or other regions.Keywords
This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- Hot weather warning might help to reduce elderly mortality in Hong KongInternational Journal of Biometeorology, 2009
- Outcomes for COPD pharmacological trials: from lung function to biomarkersEuropean Respiratory Journal, 2008
- Has the impact of heat waves on mortality changed in France since the European heat wave of summer 2003? A study of the 2006 heat waveInternational Journal of Epidemiology, 2008
- Providing anticipatory care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseNursing Standard, 2006
- Prevention of Exacerbations: How Are We Doing and Can We Do Better?Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society, 2006
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: current burden and future projectionsEuropean Respiratory Journal, 2006
- Epidemiology and costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseEuropean Respiratory Journal, 2006
- Weather, climate, and public healthJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2003
- Airborne Water Droplets in Mist or Fog 05 Affect Nocturnal Attacks in Asthmatic ChildrenJournal of Asthma, 2003