Association between the daily temperature range and occurrence of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

We have observed, anecdotally, that the incidence of primary spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), as well as spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage, varies in accordance with seasonality and meteorological conditions. This retrospective single-hospital-based study aimed to determine the seasonality of sICH and the associations, if any, between the occurrence of sICH and meteorological parameters in Incheon city, which is a northwestern area of South Korea.

Electronic hospital data on 708 consecutive patients admitted with primary sICH from January 2008 to December 2010 was reviewed. Traumatic and various secondary forms of ICHs were excluded. Average monthly admission numbers of sICH were analyzed, in relation with the local temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and daily temperature range data. The relationships between the daily values of each parameter and daily admission numbers of sICH were investigated using a combination of correlation and time-series analyses.

No seasonal trend was observed in sICH-related admissions during the study period. Furthermore, no statistically significant correlation was detected between the daily sICH admission numbers and the meteorological parameters of temperature, atmospheric pressure and humidity. The daily temperature range tended to correlate with the number of daily sICH-related admissions (p = 0.097).

This study represents a comprehensive investigation of the association between various meteorological parameters and occurrence of spontaneous ICH. The results suggest that the daily temperature range may influence the risk of sICH.