Weather as physiologically equivalent was not associated with ischemic stroke onsets in Vienna, 2004–2010

Abstract

Stroke rates were found to have seasonal variations. However, previous studies using air temperature, humidity, or air pressure separately were not adequate, and the study catchment was not clearly drawn. Therefore, here we proposed to use a thermal index called physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) that incorporates air temperature, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, air pressure and radiation flux from a biometeorological approach to estimate the effect of weather as physiologically equivalent on ischemic stroke onsets in an Austrian population. Eight thousand four hundred eleven stroke events in Vienna registered within the Austrian Stroke Unit Register from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2010 were included and were correlated with the weather data, obtained from the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in the same area and study time period and calculated as PET (°C). Statistical analysis involved Poisson regression modeling. The median age was 74 years, and men made up 49 % of the entire population. Eighty percent had hypertension while 25.4 % were current smokers. Of note, 26.5 % had diabetes mellitus, 28.9 % had pre-stroke, and 11.5 % had pre-myocardial infarction. We have observed that onsets were higher on the weekdays than on the weekend. However, we did not find any significant association between PETs and ischemic stroke onsets by subtypes in Vienna. We did not observe any significant associations between PETs and ischemic stroke onsets by subtypes in Vienna. Hospital admission peaks on the weekdays might be due to hospital administration reasons.

Appendix Austrian Stroke-Unit-Registry Contributing Austrian Stroke-Unit-Registry Collaborators

Johannes Sebastian Mutzenbach, MD (Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Salzburg, local site investigator); Katharina Stadler, MD (Christian- Doppler-Clinic, Salzburg,local site investigator); Cornelia Rösler, MD (Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Salzburg, local site investigator); Regina Katzenschlager, MD (Donauspital, Vienna, local site investigator); Sabine Torma, MD (Donauspital, Vienna, local site investigator); Miroslav Krstic, MD (Donauspital, Vienna, local site investigator); Franz Gruber, MD (General Hospital, Linz, local site investigator); Milan R. Vosko, MD (General Hospital, Linz, local site investigator); Cornelia Brunner, MD (General Hospital, Linz, local site investigator), Michael Brainin, MD (Hospital Donauregion, Tulln, study coordinator); Karl Matz, MD (Hospital Donauregion, Tulln, local site investigator); Yvonne Teuschl, MD (Hospital Donauregion, Tulln, local site investigator); Omid Hosseiny, MD (Hospital Göttlicher Heiland,Vienna, local site investigator); Wolf Muellbacher, MD (Hospital Göttlicher Heiland,Vienna, local site investigator); Dietlind Resch, MD (Hospital Hietzing, Vienna, local site investigator); Martina Mayr, MD (Hospital Hietzing, Vienna, local site investigator) Robert Paur, MD (Hospital Hietzing, Vienna, local site investigator); Otto Berger, MD (Hospital Kaiser Franz-Josef, Vienna, local site investigator); Vera Nussgruber,MD (Hospital Kaiser Franz-Josef, Vienna, local site investigator); Wolfgang Grisold, MD (Hospital Kaiser Franz-Josef, Vienna, local site investigator); Joerg Weber, MD (Hospital Klagenfurt, local site investigator); Heinz Kohlfuerst, MD (Hospital Klagenfurt, local site investigator); Klaus Berek, MD (Hospital Kufstein, local site investigator); Markus Mayr, MD (Hospital Kufstein, local site investigator); Stefan Haaser, MD (Hospital Kufstein, local site investigator); Susanne Asenbaum-Nan, MD (Hospital Mostviertel, Amstetten, local site investigator); Dietmar Schafelner, MD (Hospital Mostviertel, Amstetten, local site investigator); Berthold Kepplinger, MD (Hospital Mostviertel, Amstetten, local site investigator); Alexandra Herbst, MD (Hospital Oberwart, local site investigator); Barbara Muellauer, MD (Hospital Oberwart, local site investigator); Eva Schubert-Vadon, MD (Hospital Oberwart, local site investigator); Christian Eggers, MD (Hospital of the Mercy Friars Linz, local site investigator); Christof Bocksrucker, MD (Hospital of the Mercy Friars Linz, local site investigator); Andrea Hackenbuchner, MD (Hospital Otto Wagner, Vienna, local site investigator); Martin Krichmayr, MD (Hospital Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, local site investigator); Peter Sommer, MD (Hospital Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, local site investigator); Elisabeth Fertl, MD (Hospital Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, local site investigator); Herbert Koller, MD (Hospital LSF Graz, local site investigator); Franz-Stefan Höger, MD (Hospital LSF, Graz, local site investigator); Julia Ferrari, MD (Hospital St. John of God Vienna, local site investigator); Marek Sykora (Hospital St. John of God Vienna, local site investigator); Wilfried Lang, MD (Hospital St. John of God Vienna, study coordinator); Nenad Mitrovic, MD (Hospital Vöcklabruck, local site investigator); Thomas Salletmayr, MD (Hospital Vöcklabruck, local site investigator); Monika Grunenberg, MD (Hospital Vöcklabruck, local site investigator); Hanspeter Haring, MD (Hospital Wagner-Jauregg, Linz, local site investigator); Nakajima Takeshi, MD (Hospital Waldviertel Horn, local site investigator); Alexandra Rieseneder, MD (Hospital Waldviertel Horn, local site investigator); Martin Gabler (Hospital Waldviertel Horn, local site investigator); Andreas Doppelbauer, MD (Hospital Weinviertel Mistelbach, local site investigator); Stefan Pingitzer, MD (Hospital Weinviertel Mistelbach, local site investigator); Manfred Eder; MD (Hospital Weinviertel Mistelbach, local site investigator); Peter Schnider, MD (Hospital Wiener Neustadt, local site investigator),Isabelle Csmarich, MD (Hospital Wiener Neustadt, local site investigator); Andrea Hager-Seifert,MD (Hospital Wiener Neustadt, local site investigator); Franz Fazekas, MD (Medical University,Graz, local site investigator); Kurt Niederkorn, MD (Medical University,Graz,study coordinator), Thomas Gattringer, MD (Medical University,Graz,local site investigator); Johann Willeit, MD (Medical University, Innsbruck, local site investigator); Michael Knoflach, MD (Medical University, Innsbruck, local site investigator); Stefan Kiechl, MD (Medical University, Innsbruck, local site investigator); Claude Alf, MD (Neurological Center Rosenhügel, Hospital Hietzing Vienna - 1st Dept. of Neurology, local site investigator); Georg Dimitriadis, MD (Neurological Center Rosenhügel, Hospital Hietzing Vienna - 1st Dept. of Neurology, local site investigator); Manfred Schmidbauer, MD (Neurological Center Rosenhügel, Hospital Hietzing Vienna - 1st Dept. of Neurology, local site investigator); Elsa Fröschl, MD (Neurological Center Rosenhügel, Hospital Hietzing Vienna - 2nd Dept. of Neurology, local site investigator); Christoph Baumgartner, MD (Neurological Center Rosenhügel, Hospital Hietzing Vienna - 2nd Dept. of Neurology, local site investigator); Judith Stanek, MD (Wilhelminen Hospital, Vienna, local site investigator); Gerhard Daniel, MD (Wilhelminen Hospital, Vienna, local site investigator) Silvia Parigger, MD (Wilhelminen Hospital, Vienna, local site investigator); Josef Grossmann, MD (Hospital Lienz, local site investigator); Martin Kosco, MD (Hospital Lienz, local site investigator); Robert Perfler, MD (Hospital Lienz, local site investigator); Sylvia Promisch, MD (Hospital LKH Villach, local site investigator); Peter Kapeller, MD (Hospital LKH Villach, local site investigator); Magret Niederkorn-Duft, MD (Hospital LKH Knittelfeld,local site investigator); Philipp Werner, MD (LKH Feldkirch, local site investigator); Gesundheit Österreich GmbH/BIQG (M. Moritz, A. Gollmer,R. Kern, L. Seyfang), Steering Group at the GÖG/BIQG (Head: W. Lang)