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Extreme precipitation and emergency room visits for influenza in Massachusetts: a case-crossover analysis

Overview of attention for article published in Environmental Health, October 2017
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Title
Extreme precipitation and emergency room visits for influenza in Massachusetts: a case-crossover analysis
Published in
Environmental Health, October 2017
DOI 10.1186/s12940-017-0312-7
Pubmed ID
Authors

Genee S. Smith, Kyle P. Messier, James L. Crooks, Timothy J. Wade, Cynthia J. Lin, Elizabeth D. Hilborn

Abstract

Influenza peaks during the wintertime in temperate regions and during the annual rainy season in tropical regions - however reasons for the observed differences in disease ecology are poorly understood. We hypothesize that episodes of extreme precipitation also result in increased influenza in the Northeastern United States, but this association is not readily apparent, as no defined 'rainy season' occurs. Our objective was to evaluate the association between extreme precipitation (≥ 99th percentile) events and risk of emergency room (ER) visit for influenza in Massachusetts during 2002-2008. A case-crossover analysis of extreme precipitation events and influenza ER visits was conducted using hospital administrative data including patient town of residence, date of visit, age, sex, and associated diagnostic codes. Daily precipitation estimates were generated for each town based upon data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between extreme precipitation and ER visits for influenza were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Extreme precipitation events were associated with an OR = 1.23 (95%CI: 1.16, 1.30) for ER visits for influenza at lag days 0-6. There was significant effect modification by race, with the strongest association observed among Blacks (OR = 1.48 (1.30, 1.68)). We observed a positive association between extreme precipitation events and ER visits for influenza, particularly among Blacks. Our results suggest that influenza is associated with extreme precipitation in a temperate area; this association could be a result of disease ecology, behavioral changes such as indoor crowding, or both. Extreme precipitation events are expected to increase in the Northeastern United States as climate change progresses. Additional research exploring the basis of this association can inform potential interventions for extreme weather events and influenza transmission.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 61 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 61 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 14 23%
Researcher 9 15%
Student > Ph. D. Student 8 13%
Other 5 8%
Student > Doctoral Student 2 3%
Other 5 8%
Unknown 18 30%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 12 20%
Nursing and Health Professions 7 11%
Social Sciences 7 11%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 4 7%
Environmental Science 3 5%
Other 6 10%
Unknown 22 36%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 18 October 2017.
All research outputs
#20,450,513
of 23,006,268 outputs
Outputs from Environmental Health
#1,354
of 1,503 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#284,777
of 326,542 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Environmental Health
#23
of 27 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,006,268 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 27 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.