Observational studyBMC musculoskeletal disorders2019
Influence of seasonal changes on disease activity and distribution of affected joints in rheumatoid arthritis.
Observational study in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Vitamin D on Epigenetics, Seasonality, and Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis.Nutrients · 2026Review
- High Humidity Exacerbates Rheumatoid Arthritis in Mice viaMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- The Impact of Seasonal and Meteorological Factors on Microorganisms Present in Knee Joint Effusions Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Correlation between double-stranded DNA and rheumatoid arthritis.Central-European journal of immunology · 2026Article
- Implementing Climate-Adaptive Strategies to Mitigate the Burden of Rheumatic Diseases.Current rheumatology reviews · 2026Review
- High Prevalence of Cold Intolerance in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case-Control Study.Clinical case reports · 2025Article
- Seasonal pattern, global search trend, and public interest in arthritis from 2004 to 2022: an infodemiology study.Immunologic research · 2025Article
- Correlation Between Pain, Disease Activity, and Rheumatoid Factor Positivity in Patients with Chikungunya Arthritis.The Yale journal of biology and medicine · 2024Article
- Seasonal variations in peptic ulcer disease incidence in Taiwan, a country spanning both tropical and subtropical regions: a real-world database analysis.BMJ open gastroenterology · 2024Article
- Health Care Utilization for Common Shoulder Disorders: Analysis of the 2010-2019 National Patient Sample Data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Immune pathogenesis of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: from etiology toward therapeutic approaches.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- High Humidity Alters Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Spleen Tissue: Insights into Rheumatoid Arthritis Progression.Journal of inflammation research · 2024Article
- The Influence of Weather Conditions on the Diurnal Variation in Range of Motion in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Involvement of the secosteroid vitamin D in autoimmune rheumatic diseases and COVID-19.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2023Review
- Seasonal residual activity in adult familial Mediterranean fever: a longitudinal observational study.Rheumatology international · 2022Observational
- Origins of human disease: the chrono-epigenetic perspective.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2021Review
- Foot and Ankle Problems in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2019: Still an Important Issue.ACR open rheumatology · 2021Article
- Characterization and selection of Japanese electronic health record databases used as data sources for non-interventional observational studies.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2021Observational
- Seasonal and daytime variation in multiple immune parameters in humans: Evidence from 329,261 participants of the UK Biobank cohort.iScience · 2021Article
- Endothelial Dysfunction and Extra-Articular Neurological Manifestations in Rheumatoid Arthritis.Biomolecules · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies suggest that RA activity is sensitive to seasonal changes. This study explored the influence of season on RA activity, particularly the distribution of affected joints, using a nationwide database in Japan.
methodsWe investigated 12,839 patients whose RA activity was recorded in spring (n = 3250), summer (n = 916), fall (n = 1021), and winter (n = 7652). Disease activity score (DAS) 28-CRP, simplified disease activity index (SDAI), and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were used as indices of disease activity. Disease activity was also assessed according to DAS28-CRP scores (remission, low, moderate, or high). The affected joint distribution was investigated using novel joint indices (x, y, z), where x and y are indices for the upper and lower joints, respectively, and z is the index for large joint predominance.
resultsMean DAS28-CRP and median SDAI and CDAI scores were highest in spring and lowest in fall. There was a significant difference in the DAS28-CRP for fall versus spring and winter. Fall was associated with a higher remission rate, and spring and winter with high and moderate RA activity, respectively. Significant differences in x, y, SDAI, and CDAI scores were found for spring versus summer, fall, and winter, in addition to fall versus winter (except in y). There was no seasonal difference in the z index.
conclusionsRA activity in the upper and lower extremities may be highest in spring, followed by winter. Seasonal changes should be considered in patients with RA to better understand their symptoms.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.