Elevated body #temperature is associated with #depressive symptoms: results from the TemPredict Study

Correlations between altered body temperature and depression have been reported in small samples; greater confidence in these associations would provide a rationale for further examining potential mechanisms of depression related to body temperature regulation. We sought to test the hypotheses that greater depression symptom severity is associated with (1) higher body temperature, (2) smaller differences… Continue reading Elevated body #temperature is associated with #depressive symptoms: results from the TemPredict Study

Variation in common laboratory test results caused by ambient temperature

Highlights•Analysis of a dataset of nearly 5 million and over 200 million laboratory test results •Ambient temperature on the day an individual’s blood was drawn affected the test result •Affected assays included renal function tests, complete blood count, and lipid panels •Doctors prescribed fewer statins to individuals whose lipids were checked on colder days. Context… Continue reading Variation in common laboratory test results caused by ambient temperature

Decreasing human body #temperature in the United States since the industrial revolution

In 1851, the German In 1851, the German physician Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich obtained millions of axillary temperatures from 25,000 patients in Leipzig, thereby establishing the standard for normal human body temperature of 37°C or 98.6 °F (range: 36.2–37.5°C [97.2- 99.5 °F]) (Mackowiak, 1997; Wunderlich and Sequin, 1871). A compilation of 27 modern studies, however… Continue reading Decreasing human body #temperature in the United States since the industrial revolution

Temperature and #mental health: Evidence from the spectrum of mental health outcomes

This paper characterizes the link between ambient temperatures and a broad set of mental health outcomes. We find that higher temperatures increase emergency department visits for mental illness, suicides, and self-reported days of poor mental health. Specifically, cold temperatures reduce negative mental health outcomes while hot temperatures increase them. Our estimates reveal no evidence of… Continue reading Temperature and #mental health: Evidence from the spectrum of mental health outcomes