J Prev Med Public Health.  2019 Mar;52(2):82-91. 10.3961/jpmph.18.232.

‘Pneumonia Weather’: Short-term Effects of Meteorological Factors on Emergency Room Visits Due to Pneumonia in Seoul, Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. chun@korea.ac.kr
  • 2Korea University Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
Many studies have explored the relationship between short-term weather and its health effects (including pneumonia) based on mortality, although both morbidity and mortality pose a substantial burden. In this study, the authors aimed to describe the influence of meteorological factors on the number of emergency room (ER) visits due to pneumonia in Seoul, Korea.
METHODS
Daily records of ER visits for pneumonia over a 6-year period (2009-2014) were collected from the National Emergency Department Information System. Corresponding meteorological data were obtained from the National Climate Data Service System. A generalized additive model was used to analyze the effects. The percent change in the relative risk of certain meteorological variables, including pneumonia temperature (defined as the change in average temperature from one day to the next), were estimated for specific age groups.
RESULTS
A total of 217 776 ER visits for pneumonia were identified. The additional risk associated with a 1°C increase in pneumonia temperature above the threshold of 6°C was 1.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37 to 2.61). Average temperature and diurnal temperature range, representing within-day temperature variance, showed protective effects of 0.07 (95% CI, 0.92 to 0.93) and 0.04 (95% CI, 0.94 to 0.98), respectively. However, in the elderly (65+ years), the effect of pneumonia temperature was inconclusive, and the directionality of the effects of average temperature and diurnal temperature range differed.
CONCLUSIONS
The term "˜pneumonia temperature' is valid. Pneumonia temperature was associated with an increased risk of ER visits for pneumonia, while warm average temperatures and large diurnal temperature ranges showed protective effects.

Keyword

Pneumonia; Weather; Emergency service; Generalized additive model; Public health

MeSH Terms

Aged
Climate
Emergencies*
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Humans
Information Systems
Korea*
Meteorological Concepts*
Mortality
Pneumonia*
Public Health
Seoul*
Weather
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