Nov 25, 2014 - In this study, we examined the short-term effects of daily ambient temperature ... 2Fudan Tyndall Centre, Shanghai, China. Full list of author ...
Zhang et al. Environmental Health 2014, 13:100 http://www.ehjournal.net/content/13/1/100
RESEARCH
Open Access
Effect of ambient temperature on emergency department visits in Shanghai, China: a time series study Yue Zhang1,2†, Chenyang Yan3†, Haidong Kan1,2, Junshan Cao4, Li Peng5,6, Jianming Xu5,6 and Weibing Wang1,2*
Abstract Background: Many studies have examined the association between ambient temperature and mortality. However, less evidence is available on the temperature effects on gender- and age-specific emergency department visits, especially in developing countries. In this study, we examined the short-term effects of daily ambient temperature on emergency department visits (ED visits) in Shanghai. Methods: Daily ED visits and daily ambient temperatures between January 2006 and December 2011 were analyzed. After controlling for secular and seasonal trends, weather, air pollution and other confounding factors, a Poisson generalized additive model (GAM) was used to examine the associations between ambient temperature and gender- and age-specific ED visits. A moving average lag model was used to evaluate the lag effects of temperature on ED visits. Results: Low temperature was associated with an overall 2.76% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.73 to 3.80) increase in ED visits per 1°C decrease in temperature at Lag1 day, 2.03% (95% CI: 1.04 to 3.03) and 2.45% (95% CI: 1.40 to 3.52) for males and females. High temperature resulted in an overall 1.78% (95% CI: 1.05 to 2.51) increase in ED visits per 1°C increase in temperature on the same day, 1.81% (95% CI: 1.08 to 2.54) among males and 1.75% (95% CI: 1.03 to 2.49) among females. The cold effect appeared to be more acute among younger people aged
