Seasonality, ambient temperatures and hospitalizations for acute exacerbation of COPD: a population-based study in a metropolitan area

Excluding the tropics, exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more frequent in winter. However, studies that directly relate hospitalizations for exacerbation of COPD to ambient temperature are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of temperature on th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2015-01, Vol.10 (Issue 1), p.899-908
Main Authors: Almagro, Pere, Hernandez, Carme, Martinez-Cambor, Pable, Tresserras, Ricard, Escarrabill, Joan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Air pollution
Air Pollution - adverse effects
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Comorbidity
Databases, Factual
Development and progression
Disease Progression
Environmental aspects
Female
Hospital care
Humans
Humidity
Influenza, Human - epidemiology
Lung diseases, Obstructive
Male
Medical climatology
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Middle Aged
Mortality
Original Research
Outdoor air quality
Patient Admission
Population-based studies
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - diagnosis
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - therapy
Risk Factors
Seasons
Spain - epidemiology
Temperature
Time Factors
Urban Health
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Summary:Excluding the tropics, exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more frequent in winter. However, studies that directly relate hospitalizations for exacerbation of COPD to ambient temperature are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of temperature on the number of hospitalizations for COPD. This was a population-based study in a metropolitan area. All hospital discharges for acute exacerbation of COPD during 2009 in Barcelona and its metropolitan area were analyzed. The relationship between the number of hospitalizations for COPD and the mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures alongside comorbidity, humidity, influenza rate, and environmental pollution were studied. A total of 9,804 hospitalization discharges coded with COPD exacerbation as a primary diagnosis were included; 75.4% of cases were male with a mean age of 74.9±10.5 years and an average length of stay of 6.5±6.1 days. The highest number of admissions (3,644 [37.2%]) occurred during winter, followed by autumn with 2,367 (24.1%), spring with 2,347 (23.9%), and summer with 1,446 (14.7%; P
ISSN:1178-2005
1176-9106
1178-2005
DOI:10.2147/COPD.S75710