氣候與女性泌尿道感染之相關性研究

The Impact of Meteorological Factors on Female Urinary Tract Infections in Taiwan: A Population-Based Study

目的：女性泌尿道感染是女性最常見的感染，並且似乎與季節性相關。本研究深入探討女性泌尿道感染與相關的季節因子。方法：使用健保資料庫，蒐集2001至2013年女性泌尿道感染患者共157,258位，與中央氣象局的氣候資料做對比之相關性研究。氣候資料包括溫度，濕度，下雨日數，日照天數以及日照小時。結果：本次研究的女性泌尿道感染的發生率為每十萬人有250.94。每月女性泌尿道感染的發生率與氣溫，日照小時以及下雨日數有正相關。結論：氣候因子與女性泌尿道感染有明顯的相關性。

Objectives. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the leading cause of community-acquired infection leading to social economic losses and adverse effect on public health. The incidence of UTI is particularly high in women. The aim of this population-based study was to investigate the effects of meteorological factors on the incidence of female UTI in Taiwan.
Methods. In total, 157,258 women were diagnosed as having UTIs from 2001 to 2013 in Taiwan. Patients with repeated UTI were excluded. Meteorological data for each corresponding month were gathered from the Central Weather Bureau database. The meteorological data collected included ambient temperatures, humidity, rainfall, total rain days, and sunshine hours.
Results. The incidence rate of female UTI was 250.94 per 100,000 people from 2001 to 2013. The monthly incidence of female UTI was positively correlated with temperature (r=0.34), sunshine hours (r=0.40), and rainfall (r=0.17). The average monthly temperature had the strongest correlation with the incidence of female UTI (ß=5.30), followed by total sunshine hours (ß=0.53) and total rainfall (ß=0.07).
Conclusion. Meteorological factors significantly relate to the incidence rate of female UTI in Taiwan, especially average monthly average temperature.