Hospital Admissions for Congestive Heart Failure Decrease with Increasing Temperature in a Tropical Climate

The Effect of Temperature on Illness Severity in Emergency Department Congestive Heart Failure Patients

“…Kitzis et al 19 reported signifi cantly more hospital admissions for pulmonary oedema during the relatively cold winter and spring seasons in Israel (1.46 and 1.62 times greater than during the rest of the year). Balaji et al 18 found a 46% increase in CHF hospital admissions in the 4 warmest months compared to the 4 coldest months in Chennai, Southern India.Stewart et al in Scotland, Martínez-Sellés' et al and Boulay et al in France also reported signifi cantly more hospitalisations for CHF in the winter. [21][22][23] Balaji et al 18 speculated that the increased work of the heart in cooling the body in high ambient temperatures may be more than offset by vasodilatation and decreased intravascular volume secondary to fl uid loss from perspiration.…”

“…Balaji et al 18 found a 46% increase in CHF hospital admissions in the 4 warmest months compared to the 4 coldest months in Chennai, Southern India.Stewart et al in Scotland, Martínez-Sellés' et al and Boulay et al in France also reported signifi cantly more hospitalisations for CHF in the winter. [21][22][23] Balaji et al 18 speculated that the increased work of the heart in cooling the body in high ambient temperatures may be more than offset by vasodilatation and decreased intravascular volume secondary to fl uid loss from perspiration. Allegra et al 17 reported 35% more ED CHF visits in December than August in New Jersey, USA.They suggested that the increased CHF visits during colder months may be due to increases in the number of upper respiratory infections and increased catecholamine release in response to cold weather.…”

“…6,8 Previous studies revealed fewer visits for CHF to various emergency departments (EDs) in New Jersey, USA and fewer admissions for CHF to a Southern India and an Israeli hospital during the warmer months. [17][18][19] Using the hospital admission rate for CHF as a marker for illness severity, we hypothesized that CHF would also be less severe in the warmer months. Examining the effect of temperatures on CHF severity may provide insight into precipitating factors for CHF.…”