title: Associations between meteorological variables and acute stroke hospital admissions in the west of Scotland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We combined a large clinical stroke registry with the UK Met Office database to assess the association between meteorological variables and specific clinical subtypes of acute stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used negative binomial regression and Poisson regression techniques to explore the effect of meteorological values to hospital with acute stroke. Differential effects of atmospheric conditions upon stroke subtypes were also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from 6389 patients with acute stroke were examined. The mean age (SD) was 71.2 (13.0) years. About 5723 (90%) patients suffered ischaemic stroke of which 1943 (34%) were lacunar. Six hundred and sixty-six patients (10%) had haemorrhagic stroke. Every 1 degrees C increase in mean temperature during the preceding 24 h was associated with a 2.1% increase in ischaemic stroke admissions (P = 0.004). A fall in atmospheric pressure over the preceding 48 h was associated with increased rate of haemorrhagic stroke admissions (P = 0.045). Higher maximum daily temperature gave a greater increase in lacunar stroke admissions than in other ischaemic strokes (P = 0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report a measurable effect of atmospheric conditions upon stroke incidence in a temperate climate.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weir
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bryden
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aslanyan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lees
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walters
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013696:Temperature; D014887:Weather