Open AccessEnvironmental Temperature and the Occurrence of Toxaemia of Pregnancy in a Subarctic Area
Author(s) -
YlóstaloYlóstalo Pekka,
Kauppila Antti,
Sotaniemi Eero
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016347209154013
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , eclampsia , incidence (geometry) , obstetrics , proteinuria , subarctic climate , pediatrics , oceanography , genetics , physics , optics , biology , kidney , geology
A study was conducted on the effect of variations of environmental temperature in a subarctic area on the incidence of admission to hospital of patients with toxaemia of pregnancy. Toxaemia of pregnancy was the reason for 1 152 admissions in 1965‐1968, and essential hypertension was the reason for 209 admissions. The environmental temperature was correlated with the admission rate: the higher the temperature, the greater was the number of admissions. A minor drop was seen in the rate of admissions in the temperature range 10° to + 10°C, and the same trend was observed in the frequency of the individual symptoms of toxaemia of pregnancy: oedema, proteinuria and hypertension. The incidence of eclampsia followed the same pattern, but to a greater degree. The rate was higher in the temperature ranges 10° to 19°C and + 10° to + 19°C than in the 10° to + 10°C range. Temperature changes during the two days before the day of hospital admission did not influence the frequency of hospital admissions.