Correlation analysis of the rheumatoid arthritis and the meteorological factors

Objective To explore the relation between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the meteorolog-ical factors. Methods All RA cases in the group were followed for 12 months, patients were follow-up for every two weeks. In each followed-up, all RA cases were evaluated by the disease activity score-28 (DAS28) and the improved Jamieson questionnaire, and the correlation of the DAS28 and the average values of meteorolo-gical factors (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wind speed) by Pearson corre-lation coefficient. The moderate-severe activity cases were evaluated by chi-square test of different seasons. Results One hundred and eighty-eight cases completed the observation, One hundred and sixty-four cases were in moderate disease activities (χ2=9.42, P=0.022). Sixty-eight cases were distributed in winter, which was significantly higher than other three seasons. The average temperature and wind speed was negatively related to the DAS28 (r=-0.743, P<0.01; r=-0.576, P=0.003). Conclusion The activity of RA has the characteristics of seasonal changes, and is easily being aggravated in winter. Many factors may influence RA, including temperature and wind speed. Creating an appropriate micro-climate environment is beneficial for RA patients to reduce the disease activity. Key words: Arthritis, rheumatoid; Meteorological factor