RA vs. Humidity

By carol kumpf Saturday, November 20, 2010

I have been keeping track of my RA symptoms in order to minimize them as much as possible.  I have noticed that my RA symptoms are more pronounced when it is very humid, even though it's warm, which should make me feel better.  My rheumy told me that there are European studies which do connect humidity and RA symptoms, but not much going on in the US.  Does anyone have info on humidity vs. RA.  I may use this info to choose where we retire in the near future.

V, Health Guide
11/20/10 3:55pm

www.arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-climate.html

This website may have some information for you to consider.

Best Wishes,

V

11/20/10 11:23pm

Thanks, V, for that great article!  Ok, so I'm not so crazy after all.  My rheumy seems to be right about more studies done in other countries and not so much in the US.

11/20/10 8:57pm

Come live in "dry, hot Arizona"......it hardly ever rains so we don't have many days with humidity at all.  YES, the humidity does irritate my RA when it does rain.   We retired here 9 years ago (central AZ, near Phoenix) and I hate to think what my RA would be like if we still lived near Chicago Illinois.  YIKES

11/20/10 11:15pm

My parents spent many happy retirement years in Tucson.  We all loved going there to visit!  Yes, we need a drier climate, I think.  I don't think I would do well in Florida, for example.  When it's hot AND humid, I feel just awful.

Thanks for your reply!

V, Health Guide
11/21/10 7:03am

I agree with you about staying away from Florida. It is so, so humid.  It makes your body ache and drives my sinuses crazy.  Besides, there are a lot of spiders and snakes, and the humidty causes a lot of bad hair days!  I have enough bad hair days, already!!! 

Cool  Peace,

V

Lene Andersen, Health Guide
11/30/10 7:43pm

I do have some links on RA and whether in general that I can give you - specifically RA and barometric pressure (and another one here). From the research I've done, it seems that different people react differently - some experience an increase in symptoms with humidity (I'm one of them), but for others it's barometric pressure. The best way to find out is to do a symptom diary - which you've already done - and it seems to indicate that humidity is a trigger for you. What the research says doesn't really matter in that respect - what matters is your experience.

 

However, before you pull up stakes and move to somewhere dry, I'd recommend that you do sort of "dry run" (pun not intended, but sort of funny anyway Wink) and spend some time in a dry locale, like Arizona or New Mexico to see how you react. Unfortunately, going somewhere for two weeks on vacation is not going to tell you much - the very fact that you're on vacation will automatically make you feel better. If it's possible for you to spend a couple months there, you may get better data.

Ask a Question

Get answers from our experts and community members.

Btn_ask_question_med
View all questions (3513) >
By carol kumpf— Last Modified: 10/26/11, First Published: 11/20/10