© 1988 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Weather and Occurrence of Eclampsia
Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Division of Internal Medicine, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecotogy, University of Colorado Medical School Denver, Colorado, USA Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health Seattle, Washington, USA
Reprint requests: Dr Beth W. Alderman, Campus Box C245, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80262, USA.
The authors performed a population-based case-control study of the association between weather and occurrence of eclampsis in Washington State. Women who were recorded as having eclampsia on Washington birth certificates from 1980 to 1983 were compared to a random sample of all women who gave birth during those years. For each woman studied. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather data were used to determine the temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and wind speed on the date of birth at the station nearest the hospital of birth. Categorical analysis revealed that eclampsia was not associated with low temperature, high relative humidity, precipitation, or high wind speed. These results were unchanged after adjustment for race, parity, maternal age, and late initiation of prenatal care. These results do not support an association between eclampsia and weather on the date of delivery in this population.
Revised 1 December 1987