winter – LupusCorner

Winter is Coming: Cold Weather and Lupus

arif — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 17:33:11 +0000

It’s true, winter is coming, but what does that mean for your lupus (or the other conditions you might be battling right alongside like Raynaud’s or Rheumatoid Arthritis?)

If there is one thing we know about lupus, it is that it effects people very differently. While that is one of the main reason’s lupus is hard to diagnose, it also makes it challenging for lupus warriors to know what to expect. So with winter coming, what should you expect?

How does winter affect you?

Does the winter impact your lupus? Do you feel more joint pain? Do you find yourself leaning more on your lupus or rheumatoid arthritis medications? Share in our poll and see what other lupus warriors are saying.

Has science found a link between the winter and lupus symptoms?

TL;DR: No

Few scientific studies measured the effects of cold temperatures on lupus symptoms. One of the better studies examined was published in the International Journal of Chronic Diseases in 2014 by Squance, M.L., et al. It didn’t find scientific proof of a connection but believes more studies are required.

“more directed studies are required to investigate and establish lupus flare and temperature change associations.”

Really? What about a scientific link between winter and rheumatoid arthritis?

TL;DR: Sort-of

You might have heard the classic truism: “Cold and wet is bad, warm and dry is good for RA.”

While there is scientific proof humidity has an impact on the symptoms of RA, scientists haven’t found a clear link between symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and cold temperatures.

The post Winter is Coming: Cold Weather and Lupus appeared first on LupusCorner.

Lupus Fatigue & the Seasons: FSS Data

brett — Mon, 15 May 2017 17:16:19 +0000

There have been over 942 responses to the Fatigue Severity Scale. Let’s analyze the scores to look for seasonal lupus fatigue.

In previous posts, we have looked at why we use the FSS to measure lupus fatigue and some initial results from the tool. Now that there are a large number of responses spread across seasons, we will break the data into two groups to look specifically at the impact of winter on lupus fatigue.

Note: LupusCorner uses a statistically valid measure of fatigue (the FSS), and proper statistical calculations. But, these results are NOT equal to scientific studies. In particular, no steps were taken to ensure that the participants were a representative sample of all people with lupus and the scale is available to all people.

Establishing a fatigue baseline

Previous studies have used the FSS in an attempt to better understand fatigue and lupus disease activity. The FSS is scored from 1 to 7; 1 is low fatigue and 7 is high fatigue. One of these studies published in 1999 found high rates of fatigue as compared to healthy subjects.

Average Lupus FSS Value: 6.08 (standard deviation: 2.7)

Healthy Participant FSS Value: 2.3 (standard deviation: 0.7)

It should be noted that this study had 81 participants. 76 of the 81 were women. 58 (72%) of the participants were white. As we did not gather any demographic information with our poll, we are not able to make any evaluations about the impact of sex and race on fatigue.

Lupus fatigue in the non-winter months

With an established comparison point, we looked at the data that was not recorded during the winter months (from December 1, 2016 to February 28). In total, there were 440 completed and valid FSS scores.

Data:

Responses: 440

Mean: 5.97

Standard Deviation: 1.24

Median: 6.33

Lupus fatigue in the winter months

To compare to the data above, we looked at the FSS scores from all months not deemed to be the winter months above. Responses were available from November 2016, March 2017 – May 2017.

Data:

Responses: 501

Mean: 5.94

Standard Deviation: 1.13

Median: 6.33

Statistical analysis

From looking at the graphs and the numbers above, you are likely able to draw the conclusion that there were no differences between fatigue scores during the winter months.

As expected when I ran a comparison of means calculation, no statistical differences were found (difference = 0.031, p = 0.6879).

Additionally, I compared the slightly lower winter month values to the previous study finding on average lupus fatigue scores. Again, no statistical differences were found (difference = 0.137, p = 0.433).

Discussion of findings

Based on the above findings, it does not seem like the winter season is associated with different levels of fatigue as compared to the early spring months. As additional results are available, this analysis can be expanded to take into account all of the seasons.

By comparing the LupusCorner users to the clinical study population, we found that the responders were not significantly different than the people with lupus in that trial. However, it is important to consider the difficulty in attaining statistical significance. The FSS is not sufficient for comparing the groups.

This finding is in-line with the existing literature regarding seasonality and lupus fatigue. However, those researchers also suggested that additional studies be conducted to explore the link. In future analysis, it may be possible to include additional demographic data to explore how specific attributes, including sex, race, and age-of-lupus-onset may impact fatigue.

The post Lupus Fatigue & the Seasons: FSS Data appeared first on LupusCorner.

Pain-Relieving Tips if the Weather Gets You Down

arif — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 16:20:21 +0000

Living with lupus is tough. But, the winter cold can make it worse. Here are 3 pain-relieving tips for making it through the coldest season.

While scientists haven’t found a link between cold weather and lupus symptoms, here are some pain-relieving tips for times when the cold seems like too much to handle.

1. Try Stretching

Exercising can be tough during the winter. However, it can help to find some time to engage in stretching and range of motion exercises. Even walking around the house can help!

2. Good Sleep

Did you know that pain and sleep are linked? Studies have shown that better sleep can improve pain symptoms. Sleeping during the winter can be tough, but electric blankets can help as well as a warm evening bath.

Looking to learn more about improving your sleep? Click here

3. Meditation

With the winter comes the holidays, and sometimes with the holidays comes stress. It’s important to manage the holiday stress and meditation can be a great way.

Mindfulness exercises can even help you take on pain!

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