KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 – People suffering from long-term health problems such as arthritis, might feel more pain on humid days, indicates a new study.
“Weather has been thought to affect symptoms in patients,” said Prof Will Dixon, of the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis at the University of Manchester, who led the study, according to BBC.
“Around three-quarters of people living with arthritis believe their pain is affected by the weather,” he added.
The data polled via smartphones from 2,500 people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine and neuropathic pain from across the UK, found symptoms were actually worse on warmer, damper days.
Damp and windy days with low pressure saw an increase in the chances of experiencing more pain than normal by about 20 per cent.
Cold, damp days also was discovered to cause the pain to be worse, but there was no association with temperature alone, or rainfall.
The study is expected to aid the development of a “pain forecast” that could allow people with chronic pain to plan activities.
The BBC reported that about 10 million people in the UK have arthritis, with most thought to experience ‘life-altering pain’ daily.
