Is epistaxis affected by the weather?
Reviewed by Sunil Sharma

In this Bosnian study, the authors attempted to determine if air pressure, temperature and humidity had any effect on idiopathic epistaxis. The study took place over a three-year period and included 300 patients. A comparison was performed of meteorological data on the day of epistaxis (‘Day 0’) and on the first preceding day prior to epistaxis onset (‘Day -1’). All included patients had to be in the same city in Bosnia and Herzegovina on both days. The authors did note a peak incidence of epistaxis during the spring months (but this could be related to a peak of allergy symptoms during this period, which can exacerbate epistaxis). However, they did not find any meteorological trigger factors for epistaxis. The study is however limited by the fact that the temperatures, humidity and air pressures were measured outside, and may not reflect those that the patient was actually exposed to in their homes. Also, the arbitrary division of Day 0 and Day -1 means that in fact the weather conditions on the night before the onset of epistaxis (on Day -1) may have actually been the precipitating factors for onset of epistaxis. This study reinforces previous literature that particular weather conditions do not seem to be associated with the onset of epistaxis. 

Idiopathic epistaxis and meteorological factors: case-control study.
Jelavic B, Majstorovic Z, Kordic M, et al.
B-ENT
2015;11:267-73.