PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Eleanor Gerada AU - Caroline Gouder AU - Josef Micallef AU - Richard Pullicino AU - Stephen Montefort TI - Weather variables and emergency hospital visits for adult asthma exacerbations in Malta DP - 2012 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P3947 VI - 40 IP - Suppl 56 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3947.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3947.full SO - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40 AB - Background: Asthma exacerbation requiring hospital treatment has been shown to exhibit seasonality in several studiesAim: To analyse the relationship between weather conditions and hospital visits with asthma in Malta.Methods: All Adults treated for asthma exacerbation in our accident & emergency department (ED) in 2010 were included retrospectively. Information on demographic variables was collected. Daily weather data including: temperature, barometric pressure, maximum % relative humidity, mean wind speed and precipitation; was obtained from the Meteorological office at Malta International Airport.Results: 328 adults received treatment for asthma exacerbation at the ED in 2010; 53% required admission. 70.4% were females. A high incidence of ED visits was observed during November, December and January, with the lowest incidence recorded in June and July. A significant association was found between age and number of ED visits (p<0.005); with the most common being the 20-40 age group. The number of ED visits for asthma was positively correlated with: precipitation of rain 1 day (p=0.002) and 2 days before (p=0.006); and mean wind speed (p=0.035). A significant negative correlation was detected between number of visits and maximum % relative humidity (p=0.004), and barometric pressure (p=0.028). However, no significant correlation was detected between number of visits and temperature.Conclusions: ED visits for asthma in Malta exhibit seasonality. These are associated with high mean wind speeds and high precipitation 1 and 2 days before presentation. These findings have important implications for developing an effective preventive strategy with increased vigilance during periods of increased risk.