title: Impact of meteorological factors on lower respiratory tract infections in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate retrospectively the relationship between meteorological factors in Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China and the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Meteorological data (air temperature, atmospheric pressure, rainfall, hours of sunlight, wind speed and relative humidity) for Shenmu County and medical data from hospitalized patients aged ≤16 years were collected between January 2009 and December 2012. The association between meteorological factors and rate of hospitalization due to lower respiratory tract infections was investigated; the total hospitalization rate was compared with the rate of lower respiratory tract disease-related hospitalizations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The leading bacterial causes of lower respiratory tract infections were Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type B; the main viral cause was respiratory syncytial virus. Lower respiratory tract infection hospitalization rate was significantly correlated with air temperature (R = -0.651), atmospheric pressure (R = 0.560), rainfall (R = -0.614) and relative humidity (R = -0.470), but not with hours of sunlight (R = -0.210) or wind speed (R = 0.258). Using multiple linear regression, lower respiratory tract infection hospitalization rate decreased with a gradual increase in air temperature (F = 38.30) and relative humidity (F = 15.58).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Air temperature and relative humidity were major influencing meteorological factors for hospital admissions in children due to lower respiratory tract infections.
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Yonglin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Fenglian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China drhydi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bilal Haider
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Shamsi
authors.affiliation: Executive Director, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Fuyong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Yanmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Yanhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Hospitalized children; Lower respiratory tract infection; Meteorological factors; Relative humidity; Respiratory syncytial virus; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Temperature