Analysis of Patient Presentations to the Emergency Department Due to Anxiety Associated with the Lunar Cycle and Seasonality

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the distribution of patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) because of anxiety according to the lunar cycle and seasons. Materials and Methods: Patients who presented to the ED because of anxiety over 1 year were identified. Patients’ age and sex, date and time of emergency presentation, presence of psychiatric history, and clinical outcomes were obtained by screening patients’ epicrises. Using the date and time information, the lunar cycle during which each presentation occurred was determined using a website. The recorded characteristics of the patients were then analyzed according to the lunar cycle and seasonality. Results: The study included a total of 1,179 patients, of whom 58.6% were women. The mean age was 39.1±15.2 years. Most patients (69.9%) were aged 18-44 years. It was found that 58.6% (n=691) of all patients were female, 25.4% (n=300) presented to the ED during the last quarter phase of the lunar cycle, and 36.7% (n=433) during the summer season. It was determined that patients diagnosed with psychiatric diseases visited the hospital at a higher rate during the winter, and the hospitalization rate was higher in the winter season (p<0.05). The hospitalized patients were mostly young, male patients diagnosed with psychiatric diseases (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that the number of ED presentations due to anxiety was the highest in the last quarter of the lunar cycle, during the summer season, and among women. Patients with a history of psychiatric diseases and young male patients were hospitalized more frequently during the winter.

Keywords

• anxiety
• lunar cycle
• seasonality