The second month of the year is the snowiest for many regions of the United States, and for other areas, the peak in snowfall occurs even later toward the springtime. Climatologist Brian Brettschneider compiled snowfall data from around the United States and Canada, creating a map to show which month is the snowiest for each location with an average annual snowfall total of at least 6 inches. The data was compiled from the Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-D). It may come as a su
Objective To study the relation between rainfall and outpatient visits for joint or back pain in a large patient population.
Design Observational study.
Setting US Medicare insurance claims data linked to rainfall data from US weather stations.
Participants 1 552 842 adults aged ≥65 years attending a total of 11 673 392 outpatient visits with a general internist during 2008-12.
Main outcome measures The proportion of outpatient visits for joint or back pain related conditions (rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, spondylosis, intervertebral disc disorders, and other non-traumatic joint disorders) was compared between rainy days and non-rainy days, adjusting for patient characteristics, chronic conditions, and geographic fixed effects (thereby comparing rates of joint or back pain related outpatient visits on rainy days versus non-rainy days within the same area).
Results Of the 11 673 392 outpatient visits by Medicare beneficiaries, 2 095 761 (18.0%) occurred on