Temperature-related effects on respiratory medical prescriptions in Spain

Background The increased risk of mortality during periods of high and low temperatures has been well established. However, most of the studies used daily counts of deaths or hospitalisations as health outcomes, although they are the ones at the top of the health impact pyramid reflecting only a limited proportion of patients with the most severe cases. Objectives This study evaluates the relationship between short-term exposure to the daily mean temperature and medication prescribed for the respiratory system in five Spanish cities. Methods We fitted time series regression models to cause-specific medical prescriptions, including different respiratory subgroups and age groups. We included a…