Exploring epistaxis as an adverse effect of anti-thrombotic drugs and outdoor temperature

Abstract

Electronic health records contain a wealth of epidemiological information about diseases at the population level. Using a database of medical diagnoses and drug prescriptions in electronic health records, we investigate the correlation between outdoor temperature and the incidence of epistaxis over time for two groups of patients. One group consists of patients that had been diagnosed with epistaxis and also been prescribed at least one of the three anti-thrombotic agents: Warfarin, Apixaban, or Rivaroxaban. The other group consists of patients that had been diagnosed with epistaxis and not been prescribed any of the three anti-thrombotic drugs. We find a strong negative correlation between the incidence of epistaxis and outdoor temperature for the group that had not been prescribed any of the three anti-thrombotic drugs, while there is a weaker correlation between incidence of epistaxis and outdoor temperature for the other group. It is, however, clear that both groups are affected in a similar way, such that the incidence of epistaxis increases with colder temperatures.