Does rheumatoid arthritis disease activity correlate with weather conditions?

• DOI: 10.1007/s00296-014-3161-5
• Publication Date: 2014-10-23T11:41:10Z
• Authors: E. M. Savage; D. McCormick; S. McDonald; O. Moore; M. Stevenson; A. P. Cairns
• Keywords: Adult; Aged, 80 and over; Male; Rain; Adalimumab; Temperature; Pain; Humidity; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; Etanercept; 3. Good health; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; 03 medical and health sciences; Atmospheric Pressure; 0302 clinical medicine; Risk Factors; Antirheumatic Agents; Sunlight; Humans; Female; Longitudinal Studies; Aged

To determine whether rheumatoid arthritis disease activity correlates with changing weather conditions. A longitudinal analysis of 133 patients attending the Department of Rheumatology, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast was performed. Participants had a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and were receiving subcutaneous anti-TNF therapy (Adalimumab or Etanercept) for a period of >6 months. Data were collected at five time points. This included tender joint count, swollen joint count, patient visual analogue score (VAS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, VAS, and DAS-28 (Disease Activity Score). Each weather factor (maximum, minimum temperature, pressure, rainfall, sunshine, humidity, and wind-speed) was analysed against each patients' DAS-28 score at five time points, using an analysis of covariance. A significant correlation was noted between low DAS-28 and increased hours of sunshine (p < 0.001). Sunny conditions were associated with a DAS-28 reduction of 0.037 (95 % CI -0.059, -0.016) p < 0.001. A significant correlation between humidity and DAS-28 was also noted (p = 0.016). Increased humidity was associated with an increased DAS-28 of 0.007 (95 % CI 0.001, 0.013) p = 0.016. Higher temperatures were associated with a non-significant decrease in DAS-28 (p = 0.16). In this study, rheumatoid arthritis disease activity (as measured by DAS-28) was significantly lower in both more sunny and less humid conditions.