[Occurrence of epistaxis in relation to seasonal factors]

A retrospective study of the occurrence of epistaxis in relation to seasonal factors--mean monthly air temperature and atmospheric pressure is presented. During three consecutive years a total of 18 625 patients were seen in the ENT Clinic: 1,357 (7.3%) were suffering from epistaxis (about 38 patients with epistaxis per month). The epistaxis appeared more frequently in men (60.1%), aged from 41 to 60 years (41.3%) The Increased occurrence of epistaxis was related to the low temperature period. The highest occurrence of epistaxis was observed during the cold season--between December and April (from 9.2 to 13.36% of all patients seen per month), suggesting the relationship between epistaxis and infections of the upper respiratory tract. No relation between epistaxis and mean monthly atmospheric pressure was observed.