The influence of meteorological factors on the frequency of epistaxis

This retrospective study aims to search out the influence of temperature, atmospheric pressure and humidity on the frequency of epistaxis. The study includes 701 patients who have suffered from epistaxis and have been treated in the ENT department of the University of Ioannina Hospital, during the years 1995 and 1996. The statistical methods used are simple linear correlation and linear stepwise regression analysis. The results of simple correlation analysis showed that the daily number of epistaxes depends mainly on mean, maximum and minimum temperature and water vapour pressure. The corresponding correlation coefficients are statistically significant, indicating an influence of weather on epistaxis up to 9% of its total variance. By applying stepwise regression analysis, we managed to increase the linear correlation coefficient and the corresponding amount of variance of epistaxis explained by meteorological factors. This percentage was found to approach 20% for the cold period and 10% for the warm period of the year.