The effects of slight atmospheric pressure fluctuations on the occurrence of emergency transport due to suicidal injuries

Lyudmyla Aleksandrovna Didyk, Yuriy Pavlovich Gorgo, Joris Jan Josef Dirckx, Irina Aleksandrovna Semenova, Nataliya Petrovna Didyk, Dmytro Sergeevich Gorlov

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DOI: 10.4236/health.2010.25067                

Abstract

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that a relation exists between slight atmospheric pressure fluctuations (APF) in the far infrasound frequency range and daily number of emergency transport events due to suicidal injuries (EESU). The regression models to compare groups were used to assess the relation of EESU to the mean daily amplitude of APF (APF-A) and to the ratio of APF amplitude averaged over the daytime to the APF amplitude averaged over the nighttime (Rdn). To eliminate the confounding effects of basic meteorological parameters and annual trend in EESU, the non- parametric smoothing method was used in a stepwise manner. The low APF-A (95% CI = 1.06- 1.16 Pa) compared to their common middle levels and the high (95% CI = 3.18-3.64 Pa), as well the low Rdn (СI = 0.83-0.92) and very high Rdn (CI = 3.05-3.77) compared to their more closed to common regular values (СI = 1.69-1.90) turned out to be more beneficial factors promoting the decrease in the incidence of EESU. We suppose that more attention needs to be paid to the meteorotropic effects of APF on certain kinds of psychopathology resulting in suicidal behaviour, and further investigations in different geograph- ical and climatic conditions, especially in those with more intense atmospheric perturbations, are necessary.

Keywords

Atmospheric Pressure Fluctuations; Suicidal Injuries; Emergency Events

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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