SEASONAL VARIATION AND URETERIC COLIC IN CENTRAL SRI LANKA
Anurudda Udaya Bandara Pethiyagoda*, Kalyani Pethiyagoda, Anuradha Jayatilake and Jinali Pabodha Manchanayake
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Ureteric colic constitutes a major health problem worldwide and it has reported a prevalence rate 5–12% of the population during their lifetime. This study was designed to find the effect of weather changes on the occurrence of ureteric colic. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study done in Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya from January 2017 to December 2018. Climate data of the corresponding months were collected from Department of Meteorology recorded in the nearest weather station (Katugastota). The available monthly meteorological data included highest, lowest, and average temperature (measured in degree Celsius), average relative humidity (recorded in percentage), total rainfall (measured in millimeters). Results: The patients with ureteric colic constituted 5.41 % (1585/29292) of all patients admitted to the surgical wards, teaching hospital, Peradeniya within 2 years. There was a significant correlation between the mean monthly number of patients with ureteric colic and relative humidity (p: 0.036, r: -0.609), but not with maximum air temperature (p: 0.075, r: 0.532), minimum air temperature (p: 0.368, r: 0.285), average air temperature (p: 0.342, r: 0.342), total rainfall (p: 0.957, r: -0.018). Conclusions: A significant increase of colic was observed in the inter monsoon periods when weather changes from one climate season to the other.
Keywords: Ureteric colic, Temperature, Average relative humidity, Rainfall, Sri Lanka.
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