HOSPITAL EPISTAXIS ADMISSION RATE AND AMBIENT-TEMPERATURE

The incidence of epistaxis admissions to hospital and their relationship to ambient temperature is examined. A retrospective analysis of 1211 patients with epistaxis sufficiently severe to warrant hospital admission was performed over a period of 1836 consecutive days. Daily average temperature data for this time-period were examined and compared with admission rates. A marked increase in hospital attendance was apparent during colder days. Patients were admitted at a rate of 0.829 patients per day for temperatures less than 5 degrees C, (95% Confidence Interval: 0.737-0.928), compared with 0.645 patients per day for temperatures between 5.1 and 10 degrees C, (95% 0.586-0.708). On average the population of epistaxis patients attended on days that were 0.6 degrees C colder (95% Confidence Interval: 0.2 degrees C-0.9 degrees C) than the average temperature for the time examined (P < 0.005, student's t-test).