Photo Credit: Machacekcz

The following is a summary of “A Real-World Analysis of Weather Variation on Disease Activity and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Psoriatic Arthritis,” published in the September 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Joly-Chevrier et al. 

Patients with inflammatory articular diseases, including psoriatic arthritis (PsA), often report that changes in weather affect their symptoms and overall well-being. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the correlation between weather variation, disease activity (DA), and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with PsA. 

They collected hourly temperature, humidity, and pressure data from 2015 to 2020 in Montreal (through Environment Canada). They matched these with DA and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for patients with PsA in Rhumadata. They examined mean DA and PROs differences between winter and summer and calculated Pearson correlation coefficients for clinical profiles and weather measurements. 

The results showed that among patients with PsA, 2,665 PROs were collected from 858 patients, with lower Clinical DA Index (P=0.001) and Simplified DA Index (P<0.001) scores in winter. In summer, positive correlations were observed between humidity and symptoms (using patient global assessment, fatigue, pain, C-reactive protein, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis DA Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index). At the same time, temperature had negative correlations with the Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability Index. Relations were found between temperature, fatigue, and pain in winter. 

The study concluded that while significant differences in clinical profiles and correlations with weather measurements were observed between winter and summer in patients with PsA, these differences lacked clinical significance, indicating a minimal impact on patient outcomes. 

Source: jrheum.org/content/early/2024/10/09/jrheum.2024-0520