Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29912647›Full record

ArticleGlobal health action2018

The association between local meteorological changes and exacerbation of acute wheezing in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

N D B Ehelepola, Kusalika Ariyaratne, Amithe Jayaratne

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Global health action, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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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.

N D B Ehelepolaa Department of Medicine , The Teaching (General) Hospital-Kandy , Kandy , Sri Lanka.ORCID 0000-0001-9133-2307
Kusalika Ariyaratneb Outpatient Department , Lanka Hydraulic Institute , Moratuwa , Sri Lanka.
Amithe Jayaratnea Department of Medicine , The Teaching (General) Hospital-Kandy , Kandy , Sri Lanka.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSevere wheezing is a common medical emergency. Past studies have demonstrated associations between exacerbation of wheezing and meteorological factors and atmospheric pollution. There are no past studies from Sri Lanka that analyzed correlation between daily multiple meteorological variables and exacerbation of wheezing.

objectivesTo determine the correlations between daily counts of patients nebulized at the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Teaching Hospital - Kandy (THK) and local meteorological variables, and to explore the utility of that information.

designWe considered daily counts of patients nebulized at the OPD of THK as an indicator of exacerbations of wheezing in the population catered to by this hospital. We determined the correlations between daily counts of patients nebulized at OPD and the following meteorological variables for four years: daily rainfall, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, diurnal temperature range, difference between maximum temperature and the temperature at 1800 hours, daytime humidity, nighttime humidity, barometric pressure and visibility. We utilized wavelet time series method for data analysis.

resultsAll nine meteorological parameters studied were correlated with the daily counts of patients nebulized with average lag periods ranging from 5 to 15 days. Peaks of daily rainfall, maximum temperature, diurnal temperature range, difference between maximum temperature and the temperature at 1800 hours and daytime humidity were followed by peaks of counts of patients nebulized (positive correlations). Troughs of minimum temperature, nighttime humidity, barometric pressure and visibility were followed by peaks of patients nebulized (negative correlations).

conclusionsThe THK shall expect more patients with acute wheezing after extremes of weather. Minimum temperature has been consistently correlated with the exacerbation of respiratory symptoms in the past studies in other countries as well. Hence, prescribing the inhalation of more drugs on unusually cold days (prophylactically) may help prevent acute exacerbation of wheezing in patients on treatment for asthma and COPD.

Indexed as

SeasonsWeatherAlgorithmsAsthmaFemaleHumansMaleMedical RecordsPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveRespiratory SoundsRetrospective StudiesSri LankaAsthmaBarometric pressureCOPDhumidityMeteorological factorsrainfallSri LankatemperaturevisibilityWheezing

Identifiers

PMID29912647
PMCPMC7011946

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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.