This study examined the temporal and seasonal distribution of sudden sensorineural hearing loss admissions and audiogram types from 2015 to 2024 using seasonal-trend decomposition with locally estimated scatterplot smoothing.

A retrospective analysis included sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients admitted to a tertiary otorhinolaryngology clinic between January 2015 and December 2024. Demographics, admission dates and audiogram types were evaluated.

Among 738 patients (mean age 45.7 ± 15.6 years; 58.4% male), admissions varied significantly across years, months and seasons, peaking from November to March. Winter admissions were highest, while autumn had the lowest. Seasonal-trend decomposition with locally estimated scatterplot smoothing confirmed recurring seasonal patterns. Although audiogram types showed no seasonal or pandemic association, their distribution differed significantly by month.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss admissions demonstrate clear temporal and seasonal clustering, aligning with influenza-like illness peaks and suggesting a viral contribution. Monthly audiogram variations imply possible environmental influences.

This study aimed to analyse if there were any associations between patulous Eustachian tube occurrence and climatic factors and seasonality.

The correlation between the monthly average number of patients diagnosed with patulous Eustachian tube and climatic factors in Seoul, Korea, from January 2010 to December 2016, was statistically analysed using national data sets.

The relative risk for patulous Eustachian tube occurrence according to season was significantly higher in summer and autumn, and lower in winter than in spring (relative risk (95 per cent confidence interval): 1.334 (1.267–1.404), 1.219 (1.157–1.285) and 0.889 (0.840–0.941) for summer, autumn and winter, respectively). Temperature, atmospheric pressure and relative humidity had a moderate positive (r = 0.648), negative (r = –0.601) and positive (r = 0.492) correlation with the number of patulous Eustachian tube cases, respectively.

The number of patulous Eustachian tube cases was highest in summer and increased in proportion to changes in temperature and humidity, which could be due to physiological changes caused by climatic factors or diet trends.

This study aimed to analyse the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the season when the blood sample was obtained from subjects with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration <50 nmol/l, based on the values set forth by the Endocrine Society guideline for higher-risk populations. Seasonality was defined according to solstices and equinoxes. The association of seasonality and clinical/laboratory characteristics with vitamin D deficiency was assessed using a multivariate logistic regression analysis.

NUPAIG Viral Hepatitis Outpatient Clinic of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo – Brazil.

Adult subjects with CHC infection (n 306).

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 16 %, whereas the median serum 25(OH)D concentration was 87 (interquartile range, 59; third quartile = 118) nmol/l. Serum concentration was consistently lower in samples collected in spring and winter than in other seasons. In multivariate analysis, vitamin D deficiency was found to be independently associated with male gender, serum albumin concentration and with samples drawn in winter and spring.

The findings show not only the relevance to consider season as a factor influencing 25(OH)D concentration but also the need to actively screen for hypovitaminosis D in all patients with CHC infection, especially in females and those with low albumin concentration.

Tonsillectomy is a common procedure, with potentially life-threatening complications. Previous investigations into post-tonsillectomy secondary haemorrhage rates suggest an influence of climactic and atmospheric conditions on haemorrhage rate, particularly temperature and water vapour pressure. With a single emergency department and a large variance in atmospheric conditions, Darwin, Australia, is ideal for investigating the effects of local climate on rates of post-operative haemorrhage.

A five-year retrospective review was conducted of all tonsillectomy procedures performed between 2008 and 2013. Effects of atmospheric variables were examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient and analysis of variance.

A total of 941 patients underwent tonsillectomy in the study period. The bleeding rate was 7.7 per cent. No variation was found between wet and dry season tonsillectomies (p = 0.4). Temperature (p = 0.74), water vapour pressure (p = 0.94) and humidity (p = 0.66) had no effect on bleeding.

The findings revealed no correlation between humidity, season, water vapour pressure and haemorrhage rates. Further research should use multi-site data to investigate the effect of air conditioning, humidification and climactic conditions between different regions in Australia.

Delirium syndrome is common in the hospitalised population. However, data on its aetiological factors are scarce. Clinical observations suggest a relationship between delirium occurrence and seasons. The aim of study was to determine whether a seasonal variation exists in the occurrence of delirium events in‐hospital patients.

The study included all admissions to the medical units of the Hospital of Ferrara, Italy, between January 2002 and December 2010. On the basis of date admission, cases have been analysed for seasonal variation (four 3‐month intervals by seasons) by means of conventional statistics. Moreover, cases categorised into twelve 1‐month intervals were also analysed by means of a validated chronobiologic inferential method (single cosinor) to search for cyclic variability.

During the analysed period, the hospital database contained 74 379 records referring to 42 625 subjects (52.7% females). Delirium diagnoses were 1300 (1.7% of total sample), 668 of whom in females (51.4%) and 632 in males (48.6%). Events of delirium were more frequent in winter and autumn (26.6 and 26.5%, respectively) than in spring (23.5%) and summer (23.4%). Chronobiological analysis yielded a significant peak of delirium events in January, when considering both the total raw number of cases and the percent of admissions.

The study seems to indicate in patients hospitalised in medical units, a higher rate of occurrence of delirium in autumn‐winter, similar to that reported for acute medical diseases. The role of possible underlying favouring or triggering factors deserves further research.

Epidemiological research about disasters is difficult to perform. Most often, it must be completed retrospectively, since data collection may not be feasible or possible during the disaster.Now, there is a recognized need for a standard method to assess the severity of a disaster.

The aim of this paper is to assess the severity of the disasters that occurred in Italy during the 20th century, using a Disaster Severity Scale (DSS). Another goal is to find a standard method for the classification of previous disasters, test the feasibility and reliability of the use of the Disaster Severity Scale, and improvedisaster management and planning.

Data were obtained from formal reports of the Civil Defence Unit (Italy) and were used to calculate the Disaster Severity Scale score. Disasters were classified into major and minor disasters, according tothe numbers of deaths and severity of the damage. The number of deaths was compared with the obtained Disaster Severity Scale score. A seasonal trend for different types of events was obtained to assess if there is a relationship between the type of event and the time of the year in which it occurred, as related to the weather conditions existing at that time.

There were enough data to calculate a Disaster Severity Scale score for 26 major events that caused death and economic damage, and occurred in Italy between 18 March 1944 and 11 November 1999, and for 82 minor events, that occurred between October 1982 and December 1999. There were some significant peaks varying from different types of events during particular seasons, but the cause for those with the highest incidence is not clear. Events related to natural hazards were the only type of event that reached the highest Disaster Severity Scale when considering the number of deaths, while no events associated with man-made hazards had a Disaster Severity Scale score >8.

The Disaster Severity Scale score could be a reliable index for the assessment of events related to either natural or man-made disasters. Use of the Disaster Severity Scale allows researchers to classify previous hazards by scoring each disaster's severity. Further studies in other countries could be useful to further validate the Disaster Severity Scale.