Seasonal Variation of Epistaxis in Germany

Aim: The goal of the present study was to analyze the seasonal variation of epistaxis in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) practices in Germany in 2016. Methods: The present study sample included patients who received a first epistaxis diagnosis from physicians in 114 ENT practices in Germany between January 2016 and December 2016. The number of epistaxis patients per practice was calculated for each month. A logistic regression model, adjusted for age and sex, was used to calculate the association between epistaxis diagnosis and the month. Results: The authors found a total of 15,523 patients with epistaxis in 114 ENT practices. Of these patients, 55.9% were men and the mean age was 47.8 ± 27.6 years. The highest number of epistaxis patients was found in February (14.89 patients per practice) and the lowest in August (7.22 patients per practice). The age- and sex-adjusted risk of epistaxis was significantly higher in the months of February (OR = 1.32), March (OR = 1.37), April (OR = 1.34), May (OR = 1.35), and December (OR = 1.33) compared with August. Conclusions: The presentation of patients with epistaxis at German ENT practices shows a marked seasonal variation with a low in the summer, an increase in fall and winter, and a peak in February, March, and April. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Karel Kostev, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, QuintilesIMS, Darmstädter Landstraße 108, 60598 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; E-mail: kkostev@de.imshealth.com Received 16 August, 2017 Accepted 4 December, 2017 The authors report no conflicts of interest. © 2018 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.

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