Do weather patterns influence the incidence of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage?

7/7/2010 12:00:00 AM

AUSTIN, Texas – Do weather patterns influence the incidence of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage? NeuroTexas Institute’s Director of Research, Dr. Matthew Cowperthwaite, and Executive Medical Director, Dr. Mark Burnett, analyzed data from 7,758 SAH admissions from 155 hospitals across the United States during calendar years 2004 to 2008. Daily weather readings for temperature, pressure, and humidity were obtained for the same period from NOAA weather stations located near each hospital location. The daily values of each weather variable were associated with the daily volume of SAH admissions using statistical analyses.

This study represents the most comprehensive investigation of the association between weather and spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage to date. The results suggest that neither season nor weather significantly influence the incidence of spontaneous SAH. The full study will be appear in the journal Neurosurgery.