Project: Temporal and spatial patterns of links between weather and morbidity due to cardiovascular diseases

The project enhances results of two recent projects in the field of biometeorology, completed in 2009 (joint project with the Korea Meteorological Administration) and 2010 (with the National Institute of Public Health). While the previous studies dealt with links between weather and mortality, the scope of the follow-up research is shifted to examining links to morbidity data in detail. This is made possible due to a recently completed unique database of all hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases (which represent the major cause of death) in the Czech Republic since 1994. The aims of the project are to identify relationships of the hospital admissions to variations in weather, with focus on (i) warm and cold air temperature extremes, (ii) sudden air temperature and pressure changes, and (iii) oppressive air masses. The links will be established for individual diagnoses and population groups, which allows for better focused public health response plan toward mitigating and preventing adverse impacts of weather on human health. The spatial patterns of the links are likely to reveal regions in which the population is more vulnerable, for example due to a larger proportion of urban population, higher air pollution levels, and/or lower socio-economic status.

Funded by: GA ČR. GAP209/11/1985

Duration: 2011-2015

Investigator: Kyselý, J.