The Effect of Apparent Temperature on the Number of Eczema Outpatient Visits in Hefei City

Objective Explore the effect of apparent temperature (AT) on the number of visits to eczema clinics in Hefei.Methods A time series analysis was conducted on the daily outpatient visits to eczema from 2016 to 2020 using a quasi Poisson generalized regression model (PGRM) combined with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM). Adjustments were made in the model for time trends, day of week effects, relative humidity, wind speed, rainfall, PM2.5, NO2, and SO2. And subgroup analysis was conducted by gender and age.Results From 2016 to 2020, a total of 135966 patients with eczema were included in the outpatient clinic of Hefei City, Anhui Province, with a total of 67824 male patients, accounting for 49.9%; The total number of female visits reached 68142, accounting for 50.1% The number of visits for eczema in the 60 year old group (26.3%) was higher than that in other age groups. Low AT has a significant negative and delayed impact on the number of eczema visits. Taking the apparent temperature at the lowest effect point (16.8 ℃) as a reference, the cumulative impact of low AT (-5.6 ℃, 1st percentile) on eczema treatment reached its peak at the 6th day lag, with a relative risk (RR) of 1.666 (95% CI: 1.440-1.928). In the gender and age groups, low AT had the greatest cumulative impact on males and the 0-14 year old population, with RR reaching 1.711 (95% CI: 1.459-2.008) and 2.264 (95% CI: 1.805-2.841), respectively.Conclusions ALow AT increases the risk of seeking medical attention for eczema, especially in young male populations.