Effects of Ambient Temperature on Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Results from a Time-Series Analysis of 143318 Hospitalizations

Yongqiao Zhang, 1 Xiaole Liu, 1 Dehui Kong, 1 Jia Fu, 1 Yanbo Liu, 1 Yakun Zhao, 1 Hui Lian, 1 Xiaoyi Zhao, 2 Jun Yang, 3 Zhongjie Fan 1 1Department of Cardiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhongjie FanDepartment of Cardiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 139 0119 9579Email Fan@pumch.cnPurpose: To evaluate the associations between acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) hospitalizations and daily mean temperature (Tmean) as well as daily apparent temperature (AT), and to explore the practical values of these two indices in policymaking and patient education.Methods: Daily AECOPD hospitalizations and Meteorological data in Beijing were obtained between 2013 and 2016. Distributed lag non-linear model was adopted to investigate the association between daily ambient temperature and AECOPD hospitalizations. The cumulative effects of cold/hot temperature were abstracted. For the extreme and moderate low-temperature effect estimates, we, respectively, computed the RR of AECOPD hospitalizations at the 1st and 10th percentiles of temperature in comparison with that at the 25th percentile of temperature. For the extreme and moderate high temperature effect estimates, we, respectively, computed the RR of AECOPD hospitalizations at the 99th and 90th percentiles of temperature in comparison with that at the 75th percentile of temperature.Results: During the