Amy L Olson1, Jeffrey J Swigris2, Ganesh Raghu3, Kevin K Brown2. 1. Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO. Electronic address: amy.olson@uchsc.edu. 2. Interstitial Lung Disease Division, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO. 3. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In the general population, rates of certain respiratory infections (and mortality from these infections) are higher in winter. We hypothesized that in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and/or pulmonary fibrosis (PF) from any cause, death rates would be increased during the winter season, independent of recognized infection. Our objective was to determine if mortality rates from IPF and/or PF of any cause exhibit seasonal variation. METHODS: Using death records from the National Center for Health Statistics, we calculated monthly mortality rates for persons with PF and developed a multivariable model to determine if these mortality rates exhibited seasonal variation. RESULTS: From spring of 1992 to fall of 2003, there were 27,367,580 deaths in the United States and 170,984 decedents with PF. The average mortality rate among all persons with PF was 17.1% higher in winter (p < 0.0001), 12.7% higher in spring (p < 0.0001), and 5.2% higher in fall (p = 0.0002) than in summer months. These findings persisted when records with a diagnostic code for pneumonia were excluded from the analysis as well as when only records in which PF was the underlying cause of death were included in the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates from PF exhibit significant seasonal variation, with the highest rates occurring in the winter, even when recognized infection is excluded. Further studies are necessary to determine if this seasonal variation exists in a prospective cohort and, if so, to uncover its etiology.
BACKGROUND: In the general population, rates of certain respiratory infections (and mortality from these infections) are higher in winter. We hypothesized that in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and/or pulmonary fibrosis (PF) from any cause, death rates would be increased during the winter season, independent of recognized infection. Our objective was to determine if mortality rates from IPF and/or PF of any cause exhibit seasonal variation. METHODS: Using death records from the National Center for Health Statistics, we calculated monthly mortality rates for persons with PF and developed a multivariable model to determine if these mortality rates exhibited seasonal variation. RESULTS: From spring of 1992 to fall of 2003, there were 27,367,580 deaths in the United States and 170,984 decedents with PF. The average mortality rate among all persons with PF was 17.1% higher in winter (p < 0.0001), 12.7% higher in spring (p < 0.0001), and 5.2% higher in fall (p = 0.0002) than in summer months. These findings persisted when records with a diagnostic code for pneumonia were excluded from the analysis as well as when only records in which PF was the underlying cause of death were included in the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates from PF exhibit significant seasonal variation, with the highest rates occurring in the winter, even when recognized infection is excluded. Further studies are necessary to determine if this seasonal variation exists in a prospective cohort and, if so, to uncover its etiology.
Authors: Fernando J Martinez; Sharon Safrin; Derek Weycker; Karen M Starko; Williamson Z Bradford; Talmadge E King; Kevin R Flaherty; David A Schwartz; Paul W Noble; Ganesh Raghu; Kevin K Brown Journal: Ann Intern Med Date: 2005-06-21 Impact factor: 25.391
Authors: Ganesh Raghu; Derek Weycker; John Edelsberg; Williamson Z Bradford; Gerry Oster Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2006-06-29 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: Thomas R Talbot; Katherine A Poehling; Tina V Hartert; Patrick G Arbogast; Natasha B Halasa; Kathryn M Edwards; William Schaffner; Allen S Craig; Marie R Griffin Journal: Am J Med Date: 2005-03 Impact factor: 4.965
Authors: Ganesh Raghu; Harold R Collard; Jim J Egan; Fernando J Martinez; Juergen Behr; Kevin K Brown; Thomas V Colby; Jean-François Cordier; Kevin R Flaherty; Joseph A Lasky; David A Lynch; Jay H Ryu; Jeffrey J Swigris; Athol U Wells; Julio Ancochea; Demosthenes Bouros; Carlos Carvalho; Ulrich Costabel; Masahito Ebina; David M Hansell; Takeshi Johkoh; Dong Soon Kim; Talmadge E King; Yasuhiro Kondoh; Jeffrey Myers; Nestor L Müller; Andrew G Nicholson; Luca Richeldi; Moisés Selman; Rosalind F Dudden; Barbara S Griss; Shandra L Protzko; Holger J Schünemann Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2011-03-15 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: John J Osterholzer; Paul J Christensen; Vibha Lama; Jeffrey C Horowitz; Noboru Hattori; Natalya Subbotina; Andrew Cunningham; Yujing Lin; Benjamin J Murdock; Roger E Morey; Michal A Olszewski; Daniel A Lawrence; Richard H Simon; Thomas H Sisson Journal: J Pathol Date: 2012-06-06 Impact factor: 7.996
Authors: Samuel M Kim; Di Zhao; Anna J Podolanczuk; Pamela L Lutsey; Eliseo Guallar; Steven M Kawut; R Graham Barr; Ian H de Boer; Bryan R Kestenbaum; David J Lederer; Erin D Michos Journal: J Nutr Date: 2018-07-01 Impact factor: 4.798