Abstract
Background/Aim: The foehn is a warm, dry wind typically found in mountainous regions. It has been previously associated with increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, headaches, traffic incidents and suicide incidence. While this phenomenon is frequent in the Swiss Alps, limited evidence exists on its impact on mental health in Switzerland, where neuropsychiatric diseases contribute more than one third of the total burden of disease. This study aimed at investigating the short-term association between foehn winds and mental health hospitalizations (MHH) in Bern, Switzerland, across 35 years of time. Methods: We collected individual information on MHH (71,931) in the University Hospital of Bern between 1973-2008, and daily meteorological data, including episodes of foehn winds, for its catchment area. We applied conditional quasi-Poisson regression with distributed lag linear models to assess the association between episodes of foehn winds and MHH (accounting to 3 days of lag) adjusted by temperature. We obtained risk estimates for all cases, by sex, age and before/after 1990. Results: Episodes of foehn winds were associated with a 5.0% (95% CI: 0.0%, 11.0%) increased risk of MHH. This association seemed to be independent from temperature, which showed to be smaller (3.0% (95% CI: 0.0%, 6.0%) for every 10C°C-increase). No evidence of interaction was found between foehn winds and temperature. Slightly larger risk estimates associated to foehn winds were found in females, age group ≥65 years and after 1990. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggest that foehn winds episodes would negatively affect health conditions of patients with mental disorders in Bern, Switzerland. It has important implications for public health, as populations of the Swiss Alps are frequently exposed to this phenomenon. Specific public health policies should be implemented in order to protect this vulnerable population sub-group during these conditions.
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