Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

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Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2012, Pages 31 - 38

Mean temperature and humidity variations, along with patient age, predict the number of visits for renal colic in a large urban Emergency Department: Results of a 9-year survey

Authors
G. Cervellina, *, gcervellin@ao.pr.it, I. Comellia, D. Comellib, T. Meschid, G. Lippic, L. Borghid
aU.O. Pronto Soccorso e Medicina d’Urgenza, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
bIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Ferrara, Italy
cU.O. Diagnostica Ematochimica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
dDipartimento di Scienze Cliniche, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy
*Corresponding author. Address: U.O. Pronto Soccorso e Medicina d’Urgenza, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy. Tel.: +39 0521 703800.
Corresponding Author
Received 14 November 2011, Revised 11 January 2012, Accepted 27 January 2012, Available Online 27 March 2012.
DOI
10.1016/j.jegh.2012.01.001How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Renal colic; Epidemiology; Climate; Temperature; Humidity; Age
Abstract

Background: A marked geographic variability has been reported in stone disease, partially attributed to the Mean Annual Temperature (MAT), as well as to the seasonal fluctuations of climatic conditions. Accordingly, peaks in Emergency Department (ED) visits for renal colic are commonplace during the summer.

Materials and methods: The aim of this study was to assess the influence of day-by-day climate changes on the number of visits as a result of renal colic in the ED (City of Parma, northern Italy, temperate continental climate). A total of 10,802 colic episodes were retrieved from the database during a period of 3286 days (January 2002 to December 2010).

Results: The analysis of the data confirms a peak of renal colic cases during the summer, especially in July (maximum number of 4.1 cases of renal colic per day), and a winter nadir (minimum number of 2.7 cases of renal colic per day, in February). The linear regression analysis shows a high and significant correlation between the mean number of cases of renal colic per day and both the mean daily temperature (positive association, R = 0.93; p < 0.0001) and the mean daily humidity (negative association, R = −0.82; p < 0.0001). The influence of temperature and humidity on the incidence of renal colic cases varied widely among age groups, the highest incidence seen in patients aged between 30 and 40 years, and the lowest seen for those aged <20 and >70 years of age.

Conclusion: The combined data suggest that the hot and dry climate would favor an acceleration of the process of stone formation, which seems more pronounced in the older population.

Copyright
© 2012 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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<Previous Article In Issue
Next Article In Issue>
Journal
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
Volume-Issue
2 - 1
Pages
31 - 38
Publication Date
2012/03/27
ISSN (Online)
2210-6014
ISSN (Print)
2210-6006
DOI
10.1016/j.jegh.2012.01.001How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2012 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - JOUR
AU  - G. Cervellin
AU  - I. Comelli
AU  - D. Comelli
AU  - T. Meschi
AU  - G. Lippi
AU  - L. Borghi
PY  - 2012
DA  - 2012/03/27
TI  - Mean temperature and humidity variations, along with patient age, predict the number of visits for renal colic in a large urban Emergency Department: Results of a 9-year survey
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
SP  - 31
EP  - 38
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
SN  - 2210-6014
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2012.01.001
DO  - 10.1016/j.jegh.2012.01.001
ID  - Cervellin2012
ER  -