PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Paul R T Atkinson
AU  - Adrian A Boyle
AU  - Richard S P Lennon
TI  - Weather factors associated with paediatric croup presentations to an Australian emergency department
AID  - 10.1136/emermed-2012-201876
DP  - 2014 Feb 01
TA  - Emergency Medicine Journal
PG  - 160--162
VI  - 31
IP  - 2
4099  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/31/2/160.short
4100  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/31/2/160.full
SO  - Emerg Med J2014 Feb 01; 31
AB  - We examined if croup presentations to the emergency department (ED) were associated with weather changes in a warm temperate climate. We collected data on all 729 cases with an ED discharge or admission diagnosis of croup over a 798 day time period. We obtained detailed climatic records from the New South Wales Meteorological Office for the same time period. Only one daily variable, ground temperature at 9:00, was significantly associated with the number of croup attendances (linear regression −0.2062; 95% CI −0.272 to −0.138). There was a stronger correlation (−0.426; 95% CI −0.684 to −0.072) between the calculated mean monthly temperature and the monthly number of croup admissions. Even in this milder climate, croup is associated with cooler weather. We are unable to conclude that hospital attendances for croup are caused by changes in temperature alone, as other factors such as the prevalence of viral illness also follow a seasonal, and therefore, temperature-related pattern.