Evidence map›Paper›PMID 15575355›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2004

Cold weather and GP consultations for respiratory conditions by elderly people in 16 locations in the UK.

Shakoor Hajat, William Bird, Andy Haines

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 67 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Impact of extreme weather events and climate change for health and social care systems.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2017
    Review
  8. Health effects of milder winters: a review of evidence from the United Kingdom.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2017
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Data mashups: potential contribution to decision support on climate change and health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2014
    Article
  14. A respiratory alert model for the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA.International journal of biometeorology · 2013
    Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Which practices are high antibiotic prescribers? A cross-sectional analysis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2009
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Factors affecting outdoor exposure in winter: population-based study.International journal of biometeorology · 2006
    Article
  20. Weather impacts on respiratory infections in Athens, Greece.International journal of biometeorology · 2006
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Shakoor HajatLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WCIE 7HT, UK. shakoor.hajat@lshtm.ac.uk
William Bird
Andy Haines
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBMet Office · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCold weather is associated with increases in mortality and demands on hospital services in the UK, particularly by the elderly. Less is known about the relationship with patterns of consultation in primary care. We wished to determine the magnitude and consistency of associations between cold temperature and consultations for respiratory conditions in primary care settings at different sites in the UK.

methodsTime series analysis of any short-term effects of temperature on daily general practitioner (GP) consultations made by elderly people (65+ years) for lower and upper respiratory tract infections (LRTI, URTI) over a 10-year period, 1992--2001. Practices were situated in 16 urban locations across the UK where a Met Office monitoring station was in operation.

resultsAn association between low temperatures and an increase in LRTI consultations was observed in all 16 locations studied. The biggest increase was estimated for the Norwich practices for which a 19.0% increase in LRTI consultations (95% CI 13.6, 24.7) was associated with every 1 degrees C drop in mean temperature below 5 degrees C observed 0-20 days before the day of consultation. Slightly weaker relationships were observed in the case of URTI consultations. A north/south gradient, with larger temperature effects in the north, was in evidence for both LRTI and URTI consultations.

conclusionsAn effect that was consistent and generally strongest in populations in the north was observed between cold temperature and respiratory consultations. Better understanding of the mechanisms by which cold weather is associated with increases in consultations for respiratory infections could lead to improved strategies for prevention and reduced burdens for health services.

Indexed as

Cold TemperatureAgedFamily PracticeHumansPrimary Health CareRespiratory Tract DiseasesSeasonsUnited KingdomWeather

Identifiers

PMID15575355
OpenAlexW2016235947

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.