The Effects of Atmospheric Changes on Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Background: Inconsistent results were reported in studies on the relationship between pneumothorax and meteorological conditions.
Aim: We aimed to investigate whether meteorological variables increase the incidence of pneumothorax applications in a region with intense southwestern winds.
Methods: The study was conducted retrospectively using the hospital records of patients diagnosed with spontaneous pneumothorax at the emergency department or thoracic surgery outpatient clinics between January 2016 and December 2018. The admissions were grouped according to the months and seasons. Meteorological data, including daily mean temperatures (°C), atmospheric pressure (millibars), moisture (%), and wind (m/s), were obtained from the local meteorological directorate. The meteorological data on the days with and without spontaneous pneumothorax were compared.
Results: ‎ Total 264 patients diagnosed as pneumothorax included to this study. Of the patients, 27 (10.2%) were female, and 237 (89.8%) were male. The mean age was 36.71±17.95 years (between 18-92). Of these patients, 185 (70.0%) had primary SP, while 79 (29.9%) had secondary SP. During the study period, lower atmospheric pressure, humidity and higher temperature were detected in July, August and September (<0.05). Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax was significantly higher in August and September (p<0.05). While southwestern winds were recorded in 703 days (74.5%), there were 214 days (22.7%) without such winds. Regarding the daily number of pneumothorax patient admissions, there was no statistically significant relationship between southwestern winds and SP.
Conclusions: Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax was significantly higher in August and September due to lower atmospheric pressure, humidity and higher temperature.