Seasonal variation of stroke -does it exist?

José Biller, Michael P. Jones, Askiel Bruno, Harold P. Adams, Karla Banwart

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

82 Scopus citations

Abstract

A relationship between seasonal climate changes and the occurrence of stroke has been postulated. We reviewed the seasonal occurrence of stroke in 2,960 patients seen at the University of Iowa from 1978 through 1985. Stroke was classified as cerebral infarction (Cl; n = 1,357, 46%), transient ischemic attacks (TIAs; n = 913, 31%), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH; n = 476, 16%) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH; n = 214, 7%). Local climatological data were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Poisson regression was used to analyze the data. The occurrence of TIA and SAH was not influenced by seasonal climatic variables. There was a significant increase in the rate of referral for Cl during warmer months (p = 0.027). The amount of rainfall did not influence the rate of Cl. Conversely, the rate of referral for ICH was significantly less during warm weather (p = 0.027) and rainy weather (p = 0.014). A possible inverse seasonal relationship in temperate climates between CI and ICH deserves more investigation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)89-98
Number of pages10
JournalNeuroepidemiology
Volume7
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1988
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cerebral infarction
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Seasonal variation
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Transient ischemic attacks

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Clinical Neurology

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