Association Between Stroke Occurrence and Changes in Atmospheric Circulation

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p><jats:bold>Background:</jats:bold> The impact of weather on morbidity from stroke was analysed in previous studies. As the risk of stroke was mostly associated with changing weather, the changes in the daily number of strokes may be associated with global changes in atmospheric circulation. The aim of our study was to detect and evaluate the association between daily numbers of ischaemic stroke (IS) and haemorrhagic stroke (HS) and the teleconnection pattern. <jats:bold>Methods:</jats:bold> The study was conducted in Kaunas city, Lithuania, from 2000 to 2010. The daily numbers of IS, subarachnoid haemorrhages (SAH), and intracerebral haemorrhages (ICH) were obtained from Kaunas Stroke Register. We evaluated the association between these types of stroke and the teleconnection pattern by applying Poisson regression, adjusting for the linear trend, month, and other weather variables. <jats:bold>Results: </jats:bold>During the study period, we analysed 4,038 cases (2,226 men and 1,812 women) of stroke. Of these, 3,245 (80.4%) cases were IS, 533 (13.2%) cases were ICH, and 260 (6.4%) cases were SAH. A change in mean daily atmospheric pressure of &gt;3.9 hPa was associated with the risk of SAH (RR=1.49, 95% CI 1.14-1.96), and a stronger El Niño event had a protective effect against SAH (RR=0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.69). The risk of HS was positively associated with East Atlantic/West Russia indices (RR=1.13, 95% CI 1.04-1.23). The risk of IS was negatively associated with Arctic Oscillation indices (RR=0.97, 95% CI 0.94-0.99). During November-March, a positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) was associated with HS (RR=1.29, 95% CI 1.03-1.62), and a negative association between the NAO index and IS (RR=0.92, 95% CI 0.85-0.99) was found. <jats:bold>Conclusions: </jats:bold>The results of our study provided new evidence that the North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, East Atlantic/West Russia, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation pattern may affect the risk of stroke. The impact of these teleconnection indices is not identical for different types of stroke. Emergency services should be aware of the fact that specific weather conditions are more likely to prompt calls for more severe strokes.</jats:p>

Acute Effects of Metrological Factors on Cerebrovascular Diseases among Type2 Diabetes Patients: case crossover evidence from Beijing, China

“…The impacts of metrological factors have been documented in worldwide studies [8,9] and studies carried on in North America (Schwartz, Samet et al 2004, Anderson and Bell 2009, Goldberg, Gasparrini et al 2011, Europe [10,11] and Australia [12], with a significant effect of heat waves on mortality and morbidity. Most previous studies have been studied about the effects of weather conditions on incidence of stroke which was not complicated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and were conducted in developed countries [13,14]. However, the disease burden of co morbidities has become a serious issue for public health in developing countries like China.…”