Relationship between environment factors and the number of outpatient visits at a clinic for nonallergic rhinitis in Japan, extracted from electronic medical records

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the environmental factors (meteorological factors, air pollutant levels, etc.) on the number of clinic consultations for nonallergic rhinitis (NAR). METHODS Among the 9056 outpatients visiting a general internal medicine clinic in Japan between August 2012 and the end of July 2013 (counting return visitors as multiple cases), the total daily number of first visits for NAR plus the number of extraordinary visits by patients with NAR for acute exacerbation of the disease was investigated using electronic medical records and analyzed. RESULTS Major parameters with significant Spearman's correlation coefficients and significant correlation coefficients also in the multiple regression analysis were the mean vapor pressure (coefficient of determination 27.3 %) throughout the year, mean vapor pressure (58.4 %), mean temperature (44.4 %), maximum 10-min precipitation (12.0 %) only during the autumn-winter period, and temperature difference (13.3 %) only during the spring-summer period. CONCLUSIONS The mean vapor pressure is the most important environmental factor associated with acute exacerbation of NAR.