title: Mean temperature and humidity variations, along with patient age, predict the number of visits for renal colic in a large urban Emergency Department: results of a 9-year survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A marked geographic variability has been reported in stone disease, partially attributed to the Mean Annual Temperature (MAT), as well as to the seasonal fluctuations of climatic conditions. Accordingly, peaks in Emergency Department (ED) visits for renal colic are commonplace during the summer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this study was to assess the influence of day-by-day climate changes on the number of visits as a result of renal colic in the ED (City of Parma, northern Italy, temperate continental climate). A total of 10,802 colic episodes were retrieved from the database during a period of 3286days (January 2002 to December 2010).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis of the data confirms a peak of renal colic cases during the summer, especially in July (maximum number of 4.1 cases of renal colic per day), and a winter nadir (minimum number of 2.7 cases of renal colic per day, in February). The linear regression analysis shows a high and significant correlation between the mean number of cases of renal colic per day and both the mean daily temperature (positive association, R=0.93; p<0.0001) and the mean daily humidity (negative association, R=-0.82; p<0.0001). The influence of temperature and humidity on the incidence of renal colic cases varied widely among age groups, the highest incidence seen in patients aged between 30 and 40years, and the lowest seen for those aged <20 and >70years of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combined data suggest that the hot and dry climate would favor an acceleration of the process of stone formation, which seems more pronounced in the older population.
authors.affiliation: U.O. Pronto Soccorso e Medicina d'Urgenza, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy. gcervellin@ao.pr.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cervellin
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Comelli
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Comelli
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meschi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borghi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002980:Climate; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D056844:Renal Colic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012621:Seasons; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Age; Climate; Epidemiology; Humidity; Renal colic; Temperature