REVIEW - Weather effects in RA: from controversy to consensus

[Guest guest]

J Rheumatol. 2004 Jul;31(7):1327-34.

Weather effects in rheumatoid arthritis: from controversy to

consensus. A review.

Patberg WR, Rasker JJ.

Department of Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, PO Box 196,

9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: To review and evaluate the evidence for the widespread view

that signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are influenced,

or even caused, by the weather.

METHODS: A literature search from 1985 to April 2003 was performed

using the PubMed database of the US National Library of Medicine.

Additional relevant articles were identified from the bibliographies,

and from our own archives. Methods and findings of the studies were

critically reviewed.

RESULTS: Only temperature and humidity appear to have clear influences

on the symptoms of RA, although the reported findings do not agree. In

many cases, the apparent controversies can be explained by the

intimate relationship between temperature and humidity, and by taking

local circumstances into account. The differences in the methods

applied in studies on effects of weather on RA strongly hampered our

evaluation.

CONCLUSION: RA variables are positively correlated with the humidity

of the microclimate at the patient's skin. High outdoor relative

humidity is unfavorable, but has less influence when there are few

barriers for water vapor, like clothes, and when air conditioning is

used. High temperature is unfavorable since it increases absolute

humidity, but beneficial as well, since it reduces the presence of

barriers, and stimulates the use of air conditioning. The classic

opinion, " Cold and wet is bad, warm and dry is good for RA patients, "

seems to be true only as far as humidity is concerned.

PMID: 15229951

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15229951

Not an MD

[Guest guest]

I'd like to live in Lake Havasu, AZ where once the recorded temp was 129

degrees, but is opposed to living anywhere where small animals explode in

direct sunlight.

Stan

" " < >

Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 7:14:20 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific

Subject: [ ] REVIEW - Weather effects in RA: from controversy to

consensus

J Rheumatol. 2004 Jul;31(7):1327-34.

Weather effects in rheumatoid arthritis: from controversy to

consensus. A review.

Patberg WR, Rasker JJ.

Department of Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, PO Box 196,

9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: To review and evaluate the evidence for the widespread view

that signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are influenced,

or even caused, by the weather.

METHODS: A literature search from 1985 to April 2003 was performed

using the PubMed database of the US National Library of Medicine.

Additional relevant articles were identified from the bibliographies,

and from our own archives. Methods and findings of the studies were

critically reviewed.

RESULTS: Only temperature and humidity appear to have clear influences

on the symptoms of RA, although the reported findings do not agree. In

many cases, the apparent controversies can be explained by the

intimate relationship between temperature and humidity, and by taking

local circumstances into account. The differences in the methods

applied in studies on effects of weather on RA strongly hampered our

evaluation.

CONCLUSION: RA variables are positively correlated with the humidity

of the microclimate at the patient's skin. High outdoor relative

humidity is unfavorable, but has less influence when there are few

barriers for water vapor, like clothes, and when air conditioning is

used. High temperature is unfavorable since it increases absolute

humidity, but beneficial as well, since it reduces the presence of

barriers, and stimulates the use of air conditioning. The classic

opinion, " Cold and wet is bad, warm and dry is good for RA patients, "

seems to be true only as far as humidity is concerned.

PMID: 15229951

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15229951

Not an MD

[Guest guest]

Oh GROSS!! ROFLMAO!! I don't blame her one bit, Stan. Also there's something

rather unnatural about frying your morning eggs on the sidewalk.....Doreen

I'd like to live in Lake Havasu, AZ where once the recorded temp was 129

degrees, but is opposed to living anywhere where small animals explode in

direct sunlight.

Stan