Ambient Temperature and Pneumonia Hospitalization: New Insights

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at Fudan University have conducted a study investigating the relationship between ambient temperature and hospitalization due to specific types of pneumonia. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, analyzed data from 6,277 hospitalized pneumonia cases in Shanghai between 2013 and 2019. The findings suggest that extreme high temperatures are associated with increased hospitalization rates, particularly for infectious and bacterial pneumonias. This relationship was observed to be nonlinear, with the greatest effects seen in high temperatures. The study's results have implications for prevention and management strategies in urban areas.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study analyzed 6,277 hospitalized pneumonia cases in Shanghai between 2013 and 2019.
  • Extreme high temperatures were found to be associated with increased hospitalization rates for specific types of pneumonia.
  • The observed exposure-response curve for the association between temperature and pneumonias was nonlinear.
  • The hot-related risk appeared on lag 0-1 day, and became non-significant on lag 5-10 day.
  • The largest effect estimate was observed in hospitalization from infectious pneumonia (relative risk: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.58, 4.13), followed by bacterial pneumonia (2.16, 95% CI, 1.15, 4.04), and total pneumonia (1.96, 95% CI, 1.40, 2.74).
  • Stronger relationships were observed in females in stratified analyses.
  • The effect estimates remained robust after adjusting for air pollutants and various model parameters.

Statistics:

  • 6,277 hospitalized pneumonia cases were analyzed in the study.
  • 2.55 (95% CI: 1.58, 4.13) was the relative risk for hospitalization from infectious pneumonia due to extreme high temperatures.
  • Stronger relationships were observed in females (70%).
  • 2019 was the last year of the study period.
  • The study found that high temperatures increased hospitalization rates, particularly for infectious and bacterial pneumonias.

Sources:

  • Differentiating the impact of ambient temperature on hospitalization due to cause-specific pneumonias: an individual-level, case-crossover study. Frontiers in Public Health, 2025,13. (Frontiers in Public Health - http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/public-health)
  • NewsRx. Findings from Fudan University Advance Knowledge in Pneumonia (Differentiating the impact of ambient temperature on hospitalization due to cause-specific pneumonias: an individual-level, case-crossover study). Respiratory Therapeutics Week. November 3, 2025; p 441.