Assessing the Effect of Temperature on Outpatient Visits by Allergic Rhinitis in Pollen Seasons in Seoul, Korea: Adjusting for AllergenicityAbstract Number:2273 Hyo-Mi Kim*, Jina Heo, Shinwoo Kim, Honghyok Kim, Giehae Choi, Ga-ram Byun, Yoon-Hyung Prak, and Jong-Tae Lee Hyo-Mi Kim* Korea University, Korea, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Jina Heo Korea University Search for more papers by this author , Shinwoo Kim Korea University Search for more papers by this author , Honghyok Kim Korea University Search for more papers by this author , Giehae Choi Korea University Search for more papers by this author , Ga-ram Byun Korea University Search for more papers by this author , Yoon-Hyung Prak Soonchunhyang University Search for more papers by this author , and Jong-Tae Lee Korea University Search for more papers by this author AbstractBACKGROUND There are limited number of studies assessing the effect of temperature on allergic diseases, especially allergic rhinitis (AR). Pollen is one of the the most common causes of AR, therefore, it is important that pollen effect is considered when investigating the effect of temperature on AR. AIM In this study, we assess the effect of temperature on outpatient visits by AR in pollen seasons (spring (April – May) and autumn (September – October)) adjusting for allergenicity.METHODS Daily outpatient visits by AR (J30, ICD-10) data from January 1st 2003 to December 31st 2011 were obtained from National Health Insurance Corporation. Air pollution data were obtained from National Institute of Environmental Research. Meteorological data and allergenicity index (calculated using pollen concentration) data were obtained from the Meteorological Administration. Generalized additive model was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of temperature effect on AR, adjusting for allergenicity, pollutants, humidity, day of week and long-term trend.RESULTS The number of outpatient visits by AR in spring is significantly associated with the increase in allergenicity index (low=reference; moderate=11.3%; high=16.8%; and very high=30%). After adjusting for allergenicity, the estimated RR of temperature in spring significantly decreased with 1? increase of temperature (0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99). But, in autumn, RR decreased before and after the reference temperature (15?).CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION The effect the temperature showed different patterns by pollen seasons. This could be because of the effect of day-to-day change of meteorological factors. According to the studies assessing the temperature effect on allergic disease, whether the temperature affect the allergic disease is yet unclear. Further studies is needed.