Medicine Science, cilt.2, sa.2, ss.557-563, 2012 (Hakemli Dergi)
Seasonal variations in the admission rates of geriatric patients with musculoskeletal problems
to physical therapy and rehabilitation clinics were examined in this study. Totally 2257
patients (1802, 79.84% female; 455, 20.16% male) over the age of 65 years (mean age
72.32±5.67years) who were admitted to Duygu Private Hospital and Burcu Private Physical
Therapy Branch Center in Istanbul were included. Monthly admissions and seasonal
distribution were retrospectively calculated for 2 years. Admission rates of females were
higher than for males in all seasons; females presented mostly in spring (33.1%), whereas
males presented mostly in autumn (30.3%). Examination of monthly and seasonal admission
identified gender-based differences according to months (p=0.007) and seasons (p=0.018).
Monthly and seasonal admission rates according to age groups showed similar distribution of
monthly (p=0.406) and seasonal (p=0.327) admissions. These findings suggest that, due to
climatic conditions in Istanbul, seasons with significant temperature changes affected
musculoskeletal symptoms and that future studies should further analyze this subject.