Does the Change of Weather Influence Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Patients’ Self-Assessment via WebApp

Abstract

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the influence of weather parameters on disease activity assessed by Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data (RAPID) scores via a Web-based smartphone application (WebApp). Methods: Correlation of changes of temperature (change of temperature, °C) and air pressure (change of air pressure, hPa) two days prior to and weekly self-assessment of disease activity by RAPID-3 scores over three months. To define background noise and quadrants of weather changes, we defined a central quadrant ± 2 hPa and ± 2° C, called E1. Based on this inner square, four quadrants were defined: A1 = sector left side above with increasing temperature and air pressure (improving weather); B1 = sector right side above; C1 = decreasing temperature and air pressure sector right side down (worsening weather); and D1 = sector left side down. Alterations of RAPID-3 scores analyzed changes in disease activity compared to RAPID-3 scores detected one week in advance. Results: Eighty patients were included in the analysis (median RA duration, 4.5 years; age, 57 years; 59% female). Median disease activity was 2.8 as assessed by DAS 28. In total, 210 time points were analyzed for quadrant A1, 164 for quadrant B1, 160 for quadrant C1, 196 for quadrant D1, and 145 for the inner square E1 were found during follow-up. The middle square E1 was balanced between increasing or decreasing values for RAPID scores. The odds for increasing RAPID scores were 1.33 (95% confidence interval CI: 1.0–1.78) for patients with ameliorating weather conditions which improve or alleviate unfavorable or adverse conditions (A1) compared to 0.98 (CI: 0.67–1.45) for worsening weather (C1) as defined by temperature and air pressure. Conclusions: On average, more patients developed a slight increase of disease activity if they were in the quadrant with increasing temperature and air pressure (improving weather). Thus, no correlation between the worsening of the weather and changing RAPID-3 scores was found.