title: The relationship between ischemic stroke and weather conditions in Duzce, Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Weather conditions are thought to increase the risk of stroke occurrence. But their mechanism has not yet been clarified. We investigated possible relationships between ischemic stroke and weather conditions including atmospheric pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-eight patients with ischemic stroke who had been admitted to our hospital between January 1 and December 31, 2010 were enrolled in this study. We investigated the relationship between daily cases and weather conditions the same day or 1, 2, and 3 days before stroke.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A negative correlation was found between maximum wind speed and daily cases 3 days before stroke. As the relationship between daily cases and changes of weather conditions in consecutive days was evaluated, a negative correlation was found between daily cases and change of atmospheric pressure in the last 24 hours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The maximum wind speed 3 days before stroke and change of atmospheric pressure in the last 24 hours were found to increase the cases of ischemic stroke. We recommend that individuals at risk of ischemic stroke should pay more attention to preventive measures, especially on days with low maximum wind speed, on subsequent 3 days, and on days with low atmospheric pressure in the last 24 hours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Duzce University School of Medicine, Duzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: Harun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gunes
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Duzce University School of Medicine, Duzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hayati
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kandis
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Duzce University School of Medicine, Duzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saritas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Duzce University School of Medicine, Duzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: Suber
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dikici
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Duzce University School of Medicine, Duzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buyukkaya
keywords: Ischemic stroke; Turkey; Weather conditions