Is the occurrence of spontaneous epistaxis related to climatic variables? A retrospective clinical, epidemiological and meteorological study.
CONCLUSIONS
Epistaxis has a bimodal age distribution. Anterior epistaxis of mild severity is more common in children; severe epistaxis occurs more often in adults and elderly patients. The occurrence of spontaneous epistaxis was shown to be weakly-to-moderately and inversely correlated to the mean monthly temperature, relative humidity and total rainfall.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical and epidemiological profiles of patients diagnosed with spontaneous epistaxis; to correlate its monthly occurrence with meteorological variables.


METHODS
A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed in a referral ENT service in São Paulo, Brazil. The study assessed the clinical and epidemiological features of 508 patients with spontaneous epistaxis treated between February 2010 and January 2011. The occurrence of epistaxis was associated with weather variables for the same study period.


RESULTS
Spontaneous epistaxis presented two age peaks of higher incidence (11-20 and 51-70 years). Children more frequently had localized bleeding (p = 0.003), in the anterior region of the nasal cavity (p = 0.0001), of absent-mild severity (p = 0.0082). Diffuse bleeding (p = 0.005), of moderate-severe intensity (p = 0.003), was more common in adults and elderly patients. The total number of visits because of epistaxis was inversely correlated to mean temperature (R = -0.489; p = 0.011), mean relative humidity (R = -0.364; p = 0.038), and total rainfall (R = -0.512; p = 0.009) during each month of the analyzed period.
a Discipline of Rhinology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery , Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro De Toledo , São Paulo , Brazil.
João
J
Mangussi-Gomes
a Discipline of Rhinology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery , Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro De Toledo , São Paulo , Brazil.
Mariana Junqueira Reis
MJ
Enout
a Discipline of Rhinology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery , Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro De Toledo , São Paulo , Brazil.
Thaiana Carneiro de
TC
Castro
a Discipline of Rhinology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery , Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro De Toledo , São Paulo , Brazil.
José Santos Cruz
JS
de Andrade
a Discipline of Rhinology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery , Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro De Toledo , São Paulo , Brazil.
Norma de Oliveira
NO
Penido
a Discipline of Rhinology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery , Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro De Toledo , São Paulo , Brazil.
Eduardo Macoto
EM
Kosugi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004844:Epistaxis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014887:Weather; D055815:Young Adult
Epistaxis; epidemiology; meteorology