Search

Cold spells have been associated with specific diseases. However, there is insufficient scientific evidence on the effects of cold spells on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Data on OHCA cases and on meteorological factors and air pollutants were collected between 2013 and 2020. We adopted a quasi-Poisson generalized additive model with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) to estimate the effect of cold spells on daily OHCA incidence. Backward attributable risk within the DLNM framework was calculated to quantify the disease burden. We compared the effects and OHCA burden of cold spells using nine definitions. The risks of different cold spells on OHCA increased at higher intensities and longer durations. Based on Akaike's information criterion for the quasi-Poisson regression model and the attributable risk, the optimal cold spell was defined as a period in the cold month when the daily mean temperature was below the 10th percentile of the temperature distribution in the study period for at least 2 days. The single-day effect of the optimal cold spell on OHCA occurred immediately and lasted for approximately 1 week. The maximum single-day effect was 1.052 (95% CI: 1.018-1.087) at lag0, while the maximum cumulative effect was 1.433 (95% CI:1.148-1.788) after a 14-day lag. Men were more susceptible to cold spells. Young and middle-aged people were affected by cold spells similar to the elderly. Cold spells can increase the risk of OHCA with an approximately 1-week lag effect. Health regulators should take more targeted measures to protect susceptible populations during cold weather., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Hypertension and its risk factors have been thoroughly investigated in multiple population studies, but little is known about Chinese minorities. In this study, we examined the association of hypertension prevalence with its risk factors in Han and non-Han minorities from Xinjiang Province, China, who have distinct lifestyles. A total of 9551 Han and non-Han Chinese (Han 83.9%, non-Han 16.1%) 17-81-years old participated in this clinical survey and anthropometric screening. Physical examination was performed on each participant, including measurement of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and body mass index (BMI). The prevalence of hypertension in non-Hans was found to be significantly greater than in Hans, in both men (39.92% vs. 28.55%, P<0.001) and women (19.49% vs. 10.29%, P<0.001) among the 36-55-year old age group. BMI was also found to be significantly higher in non-Hans than Hans in men (BMI: 26.54+/-3.23 vs. 24.82+/-2.77 kgm(-2), P<0.001) and women (BMI: 26.92+/-3.20 vs. 24.19+/-3.16 kgm(-2), P<0.001) in the same age group, but not in those <36-years old. Although Han women had normal weights or were slightly overweight (age >36, BMI=22.25-24.19 kgm(-2)), non-Han women from the same age group were found to be severely overweight (ages 36-55, BMI=24.94 kgm(-2), ages >56, BMI=26.92 kgm(-2)). A strong association between increased BMI and hypertension was shown in all ethnic and gender groups. The prevalence of hypertension in overweight (BMI> or =24 kgm(-2)) and obese (BMI> or =28 kgm(-2)), aged (36-81), male, and non-Han participants was significantly greater than in lean (BMI <24 kgm(-2)), young (17-35), female Hans, after adjustment for these variables in a multivariate logistic regression analysis (P<0.001). A high prevalence of hypertension in overweight and obese elderly non-Han men suggests that BMI, age, sex and race are important risk factors for hypertension in this Chinese population.