Many people with arthritis feel that they can predict the weather. Women and people with osteoarthritis may be slightly more affected by weather changes than men and people with other types of arthritis. Because weather contributes in only a minor way to the seriousness of joint inflammation, there have been very few scientific studies regarding the influence of climate and arthritis. Any type of arthritis can become more painful with climatic change. People with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, fibromyalgia and others may experience worsening with change in the weather.
Arthritis occurs in every climate and every continent inhabited by humans.
Thus, scientists do not feel that climatic conditions cause arthritis. It appears that weather changes simply influence the amount of discomfort that a person with arthritis experiences and not whether someone gets arthritis. Likewise, weather changes do not appear to influence the amount of damage inflicted by joint inflammation. Research into the relationship of weather and arthritis dates from 1948. At that time, a scientist by the name of Edstrom showed that people with rheumatoid arthritis, when kept in an environment of constant warmth and dryness, felt better.