Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40640896›Full record

SynthesisBMC rheumatology2025

Prevalence of autoimmune diseases is strongly associated with average annual temperatures: systematic review and linear regression analysis.

Konstantinos Voskarides, Sofia Philippou, Mariam Hamam, Konstantinos Parperis

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Konstantinos VoskaridesDepartment of Basic and Clinical Sciences, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus. voskarides.c@unic.ac.cy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3705-3451
Sofia PhilippouMedical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Mariam HamamDepartment of Basic and Clinical Sciences, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Konstantinos ParperisMedical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe incidence of autoimmune diseases in cold environments has been a topic of interest due to the observed geographical patterns and potential environmental influences on disease development. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of five main autoimmune diseases in 201 countries according to average annual temperatures.

methodsLinear regression analysis was performed for 201 countries by analyzing average annual temperatures and age-standardized rates (prevalence) of five autoimmune diseases: alopecia areata, diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A systematic review was also conducted to evaluate whether the observed correlations were supported by published original studies.

resultsThe linear regression analysis showed a strong correlation between average annual temperatures and age-standardized prevalence rates (p < 0.0001) across 201 countries. The systematic review analysis indicated that certain autoimmune diseases, such as DM type 1, RA, psoriasis and IBD, demonstrate robust associations with geographic and climatic factors. However, there were no available published data for alopecia areata.

conclusionsThese findings underscore the complexity of interactions between environmental, and genetic factors in the development of autoimmune diseases. Further investigation is required to better understand the association between temperature and prevalence of autoimmune diseases and to identify any additional epidemiological factors that contribute to autoimmune pathogenesis.

Indexed as

AutoimmunityClimateColdIincidenceLow temperaturesMultiple sclerosisPrevalenceRheumatic disease

Identifiers

PMID40640896
PMCPMC12243313

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.