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Hospitalizations for pulmonary embolism are higher in winter and lower in summer, a new study has found. 

Researchers examined trends in seasonal patterns in hospitalization for PE in Spain. They obtained the data from the hospital discharge database of the Spanish National Health System from 2001 to 2010. 

Th researchers noted that there were 162,032 diagnoses of PE from 2001 to 2010 and PE was the reason for admission in 105,168 cases. 

There was variation in the PE-diagnosis rate, from 4.14 per 1,000 in 2001 to 6.56 per 1,000 in 2010; variation was also seen in hospital admissions due to PE, from 2.67 to 4.28 per 1,000 discharges, according to the press release.

There was a linear increase noted in the incidence of PE and a significant seasonal pattern was identified, with 17 percent more admissions in February and 12 percent fewer in June-July, compared with the central tendency, the press release added.

"The incidence of hospitalizations for PE showed a linear increase and a seasonal pattern, with the highest number of admissions in winter and the lowest number in summer," the authors wrote. 

The study was published online in the Journal of Thrombosis and Homeostasis.