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Does the weather influence dementia admissions?
Author(s) -
Salib Emad,
Sharp Nicola
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199911)14:11<925::aid-gps37>3.0.co;2-b
Subject(s) - dementia , relative humidity , diurnal temperature variation , population , environmental science , medicine , demography , climatology , meteorology , geography , environmental health , disease , sociology , geology
Background There is currently no literature on the relationship between weather parameters and admissions of organic brain syndromes such as dementias. In this present study we aimed to examine the effect of weather parameters such as relative humidity, sunshine hours, diurnal variations in temperature and rainfall on dementia admissions in North Cheshire. Method Daily number of hospital admissions of dementias and other diagnoses in North Cheshire was analysed in relation to meteorological data, which were measured at the nearest meterological office to the study population. Results The study found no evidence of any statistically significant association between weather parameters and dementia admissions. There was a weak, lagged inverse relationship between dementia admissions and relative humidity and a positive association with diurnal variations in temperature within a week of admission. However, neither finding achieved statistical significance. Conclusion The study is the first in currently available literature on the subject and may therefore provide a base reference for future studies. The interesting observation relating to relative humidity and diurnal variations in temperature is unexpected and may suggest further research. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.