THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND ACUTE CHOLECYSTİTİS

Abstract

Aims. Acute cholecystitis is one of the most common emergencies of general surgery. Although there is an increase in the incidence of acute cholecystitis in the summer season when the temperature increases, its cause is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between acute cholecystitis and temperature. Material and Methods: 271 patients admitted to the general surgery service in 2021 were included in this study. Patient data were obtained retrospectively from patient files and data from national centers were used for meteorological data. Conformity of continuous variables to normal distribution was evaluated using visual and analytical methods. Results: According to the percentage distribution of cases, acute cholecystitis was most common in summer and least in winter. A very strong positive correlation was found between monthly mean temperature values and monthly incidence of acute cholecystitis (correlation coefficient: r= 0.759 and p=0.004). Conclusions: The incidence of acute cholecystitis also increases with increasing ambient temperature, and this is important in terms of planning health services.