Effects of a continental climate on the prevalence and severity of acute non-variceal gastrointestinal bleeding

Abstract

Seasonal variations in acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB) have rarely been studied, and the published results tend to be contradictory. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between changes in meteorological conditions and the occurrence and severity of AGIB in a continental climate. A retrospective analysis of hospital admissions for AGIB (n = 1033 patients) between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012 took into consideration meteorological data obtained from the Hungarian National Meteorology Service. The severity of AGIB and ulcer bleeding was determined by the Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) and the Forrest classification. No correlations were revealed regarding the monthly and seasonal fluctuations of AGIB, but we did find a significant correlation between the occurrence of AGIB and daily mean temperature. Humidity correlated significantly with the severity of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), and meteorological front movement rates were correlated with the number of lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) cases. Data showed no significant correlations between gastric and duodenal ulcers and climatic factors such as front movement rates, atmospheric pressure, humidity, daily mean temperature and the presence of a full moon. KEY WORDS: Daily mean temperature • Front movement rate • Ulcer • Humidity • Acute non-variceal gastrointestinal bleeding • Climatic factors Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher This authors' personal copy may not be publicly or systematically copied or distributed, or posted on the Open Web, except with written permission of the copyright holder(s). It may be distributed to interested individuals on request.