Mortality from acute pulmonary embolism according to season.

Background: Varying observations have been made on seasonal differences of mortality from acute pulmonary embolism (PE).

Methods: The number of deaths each year from PE, from 1980 through 1998, based on death certificates, was obtained from the US National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Cause-of-Death Files.

Results: Acute PE as the cause of death ranged from 0.91 to 1.03 PE deaths per quarter per 100,000 population. Small differences were statistically significant due to the large number of patients evaluated. Quarterly mortality rates from PE in the northeast, south, midwest, and west, where seasonal weather varies widely, showed no meaningful seasonal differences.

Conclusion: Mortality rates from PE do not vary to a meaningful extent according to season.