Childhood acute XXXX in northern and southern Europe shows a similar epidemiological pattern and significant meteorological influences.

@entity1 @entity6185 @entity697 @entity1729 @entity110
@entity697 ( @entity697 ) is a common condition that often presents in childhood. Although there is a general perception of cyclic annual trends in @entity697 , no one has tried to identify any seasonal variation on its prevalence and incidence, associate environmental influences and impute geographic, ethnic, or even genetic features that may contribute to its onset. We aimed to analyze the influence of climate and geographic parameters on annual fluctuation of @entity697 cases referred to the Emergency Departments (EDs) of Norwich (UK) and Heraklion (Crete, Greece), compare all identifiable potential triggers and severity, and calculate the prevalence and incidence of @entity697 . Record-based data of all @entity1 up to 14 yr of age referred to both EDs between June 2005 and May 2007 were examined retrospectively. Demographic characteristics and any potential identifiable triggers of @entity697 were recorded and compared. Poisson's regression was utilized to examine any influence of meteorological parameters on @entity697 incidence. Edwards' test for seasonality was applied to identify any significant seasonal trend of the @entity697 incidence within each city. Seven hundred and twenty-nine @entity697 cases were identified (324 in Norwich and 405 in Heraklion), among 56,624 total referrals (28,931 and 27,693 cases, respectively). @entity1729 were found to be the most commonly associated potential triggers of @entity697 and food allergens the least. @entity697 cases and incidence rates in both cities were equally distributed during the study period. A non-significant seasonal trend in @entity697 incidence (October, April-May) was observed in Norwich, in contrast to a significant seasonal pattern (December, February-May) of @entity697 in Heraklion. Temperature was inversely associated with @entity697 incidence, while the statistically significant effect of relative humidity varied. Acute childhood @entity110 shows a similar epidemiological pattern in northern and southern Europe regardless of the expected differences in genetic, geographic, and environmental background. Temperature and humidity are correlated with @entity697 incidence. @entity6185 , the most prominent associated trigger of @entity697 , coincides with the observed @entity697 seasonality, suggesting a potential linkage. However, this needs to be elucidated from larger epidemiological studies.
