A drop in temperature and an increase in wind speed has been linked to a rise in hospitalisations for bronchiolitis in Australia and New Zealand.
The retrospective study of almost 4,000 patients found hospitalisations for the condition rose with plummeting temperatures, with peak admissions occurring in wintertime, dropping in autumn and declining considerably in spring.
According to the authors of the paper published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health the findings mimic that of research conducted in the northern hemisphere.
No link between humidity, rainfall and hospitalisations for the common inflammatory lung condition were discovered.
The authors, who are emergency physicians in several states across Australia and New Zealand, say their findings could be used to predict workforce needs in emergency departments.