The effect of meteorological variables on spontaneous pneumothorax in two regions with different altitudes

Spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) is defined as the presence of free air inside the pleural space. Many studies have reported that meteorological variables may trigger SP, but the mechanism is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of meteorological variables on the development of SP in two regions with different altitudes. The study was conducted in the Çanakkale (2 m above sea level) and the Erzurum region (1758 m). A total of 494 patients with SP who presented to the hospitals of the two regions between January 2011 and December 2016 were included in the study. The meteorological variables used included ambient temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, precipitation amount, wind speed, and wind direction (as north and south). The total 2192 days were divided into two as days with and without an SP case presentation. A 4-day period prior to the day a case presented was compared with the other days without any cases to investigate the presence of any lagged effect. Statistical significance was accepted at p