Climate and respiratory disease in Auckland, New Zealand.
OBJECTIVE
Increases in the incidence of diseases are often observed during the cold winter months, particularly in cities in temperate climates. The study aim is to describe daily, monthly and seasonal trends in respiratory hospital admissions with climate in Auckland, New Zealand.


METHODS
Daily hospital admissions for total respiratory infections or inflammations (RII), total bronchitis and asthma (BA), and total whooping cough and acute bronchitis (TWCAB) for various age groups and ethnicities were obtained for the Auckland Region and compared with climate parameters on daily, monthly and seasonal time scales.


RESULTS
Seasonal and monthly relationships with minimum temperature were very strong (p<0.001) for RII over all age groups, for BA in the older age groups (14-64, 65+) and for TWCAB in the <1 year old age group. European, NZ Māori and Pacific Islanders all showed increases in admissions as temperatures decreased. Pacific Islanders were particularly susceptible to RII. There was a lag in admissions of three to seven days after a temperature event.


CONCLUSIONS
Results show that increases in respiratory admissions are strongly linked to minimum temperatures during winter, typical of cities with temperate climates and poorly-insulated houses. There are implications for hospital bed and staffing planning in Auckland hospitals.
Gosai
Ashmita
A
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Auckland, New Zealand.
Salinger
James
J
Dirks
Kim
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003080:Cold Temperature; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D055815:Young Adult