The impact of short-term exposure to meteorological factors on the risk of death from hypertension and its major complications: a time series analysis based on Hefei, China

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to reveal the short-term impact of meteorological factors on the mortality risk in hypertensive patients, providing a scientific foundation for formulating pertinent prevention and control policies.

METHODS

In this research, meteorological factor data and daily death data of hypertensive patients in Hefei City from 2015 to 2018 were integrated. Time series analysis was performed using distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) and generalized additive model (GAM). Furthermore, we conducted stratified analysis based on gender and age. Relative risk (RR) combined with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to represent the mortality risk of single day and cumulative day in hypertensive patients.

RESULTS

Single-day lag results indicated that high daily mean temperature (T mean) (75th percentile, 24.9 °C) and low diurnal temperature range (DTR) (25th percentile, 4.20 °C) levels were identified as risk factors for death in hypertensive patients (maximum effective RR values were 1.144 and 1.122, respectively). Extremely high levels of relative humidity (RH) (95th percentile, 94.29%) reduced the risk of death (RR value was 0.893). The stratified results showed that the elderly and female populations are more susceptible to low DTR levels, whereas extremely high levels of RH have a more significant protective effect on both populations.

CONCLUSION

Overall, we found that exposure to low DTR and high T mean environments increases the risk of death for hypertensive patients, while exposure to extremely high RH environments significantly reduces the risk of death for hypertensive patients. These findings contribute valuable insights for shaping targeted prevention and control strategies.

Relationship between meteorological factors and mortality from respiratory diseases in a subtropical humid region along the Yangtze River in China

As the health impacts of climate change take on a more serious form, this study for the first time investigates the effect of meteorological factors on the risk of death from respiratory diseases (RD) in Wuhu, a representative city along the Yangtze River in subtropical humid region. Daily meteorological element data and RD deaths in Wuhu City were collected from 2014 to 2020. Time series analysis was conducted using distributed lagged nonlinear model (DLNM) combined with generalized additive model (GAM), and stratified by age and gender. In 7 years, a total of 8016 RD death cases were collected in Wuhu, China. The results demonstrated that the maximum impacts of short-term exposure to exceedingly low temperatures mean (Tmean) were at lag 9, with the maximum relative risk (RR) of 1.044 (lag 1, 95% CI: 1.001, 1.098). The risk of exceedingly high Tmean reached its maximum at lag 0 (RR = 1.070, 95% CI: 1.018, 1.125). Low relative humidity (RH) was negatively associated with the risk of RD death, with the lowest RR values occurring at lag 12 (RR = 0.987, 95% CI: 0.975, 0.999). No significant correlation was found for diurnal temperature range (DTR). Stratified analysis showed that Tmean exposure remained statistically significant for male, female and elderly, while RH and DTR only seemed to increase the mortality risk in the young. In a word, short-term exposure to extreme temperatures may increase the RD mortality risk in the population, and young people needed to be aware that exposure to exceedingly high RH and DTR also increased the risk.