OBJECTIVES:

The goal of the present study was to analyze the seasonal variation of epistaxis in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) practices in Germany in 2016.

METHODS:

The current study sample included patients who received a first epistaxis diagnosis from physicians in 114 ENT practices in Germany between January 2016 and December 2016. The number of epistaxis patients per practice and the number of epistaxis patients as a relative share of all patients who visited each practice were calculated for each month. A logistic regression model, adjusted for age and gender, was used to calculate the association between epistaxis diagnosis and the month.

RESULTS:

We found a total of 15,523 patients with epistaxis in 114 ENT practices. Of these patients, 55.9% were men and the mean age was 47.8 ± 27.6 years. The highest number of epistaxis patients was found in February (14.89 patients per practice) and the lowest in August (7.22 patients per practice). The highest share of patients with an epistaxis diagnosis was documented in March (2.14%) and the lowest in August (1.27%). The age- and gender-adjusted risk of epistaxis was significantly higher in the months of February (OR=1.32), March (OR=1.37), April (OR=1.34), May (OR=1.35), and December (OR=1.33) compared to August.

CONCLUSIONS:

The presentation of patients with epistaxis at German ENT practices shows a marked seasonal variation with a low in the summer, an increase in fall and winter, and a peak in February, March, and April.