Effect of increasing temperature on daily hospital admissions for schizophrenia in Hefei, China: a time-series analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between ambient temperature and hospital admissions for schizophrenia in Hefei, China.

STUDY DESIGN

An ecological design was used to explore the effect of ambient temperature on hospital admissions for schizophrenia.

METHODS

Daily data on hospital admissions for schizophrenia and meteorological data for the warm season (May-October) in 2005-2014 were obtained from Anhui Mental Health Centre and Hefei Bureau of Meteorology, respectively. Poisson generalised linear regression model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to analyse the effects of temperature on admissions for schizophrenia. Stratified analyses according to individual characteristics, such as age and sex, were also conducted.

RESULTS

A significant relationship was found between ambient temperature and admissions for schizophrenia. High temperature appeared to have a delayed effect on admissions for schizophrenia, and a temperature of 28°C (75th percentile) at lag 0-4 days was associated with a 7% (95% confidence interval: 4-11%) increase in admissions for schizophrenia. Stratified analyses showed that male patients, patients aged 21-60 years and married patients were more vulnerable to high temperature, and the temperature effects for those groups occurred at a lag of 1 day.

CONCLUSION

High temperature poses significant risks for schizophrenia in subtropical regions. Future preventive measures for reducing the occurrence of schizophrenia should be considered for susceptible populations.