%0 Journal Article %T Apparent Temperature and Cause-Specific Emergency Hospital Admissions in Greater Copenhagen, Denmark %A Janine Wichmann %A Zorana Andersen %A Matthias Ketzel %A Thomas Ellermann %A Steffen Loft %J PLOS ONE %D 2011 %I Public Library of Science (PLoS) %R 10.1371/journal.pone.0022904 %X One of the key climate change factors, temperature, has potentially grave implications for human health. We report the first attempt to investigate the association between the daily 3-hour maximum apparent temperature (Tappmax) and respiratory (RD), cardiovascular (CVD), and cerebrovascular (CBD) emergency hospital admissions in Copenhagen, controlling for air pollution. The study period covered 1 January 2002£¿31 December 2006, stratified in warm and cold periods. A case-crossover design was applied. Susceptibility (effect modification) by age, sex, and socio-economic status was investigated. For an IQR (8¡ãC) increase in the 5-day cumulative average of Tappmax, a 7% (95% CI: 1%, 13%) increase in the RD admission rate was observed in the warm period whereas an inverse association was found with CVD (£¿8%, 95% CI: £¿13%, £¿4%), and none with CBD. There was no association between the 5-day cumulative average of Tappmax during the cold period and any of the cause-specific admissions, except in some susceptible groups: a negative association for RD in the oldest age group and a positive association for CVD in men and the second highest SES group. In conclusion, an increase in Tappmax is associated with a slight increase in RD and decrease in CVD admissions during the warmer months. %U http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0022904