Not scars, but the bones in the joints. It is still not known exactly what the process is like – there are studies about it, but they are inconclusive. Doctor Eduardo dos Santos Paiva, member of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology, emphasizes the lack of scientific proof, but recalls that “Most authors agree that a person with rheumatic disease can be sensitive to variations in time, although the element that causes the worsening of pain varies from patient to patient”. According to him, due to this factor, patients’ medications sometimes need to be increased during the coldest period.
PUTTING PRESSURE
The pain is somehow related to increased humidity in the air (rain indicator), which causes drops in atmospheric pressure. According to a study by the American Meteorological Society, 73% of patients exposed to this combination reported that their pain worsened.
WHERE DOES IT HURT?
But it’s not enough for the weather to be wet. Those who claim to feel climate changes in their bodies usually suffer from a disease in the joints, and not in the bones, such as inflammation (arthritis) or degeneration (arthrosis). One study suggests that between 80% and 90% of these patients are more sensitive to climate change
ARTICULATING
– (Tila Barrionuevo/)
When studying cadaver hips in 1990, orthopedic specialist Hans Wingstrand noticed that the pressure inside the joints is lower than the atmospheric pressure. When the latter drops and the two equalize, intra-articular pressure leads to misalignment of the hip joints by 8 mm – perhaps the same happens with the other joints. Temperature, on the other hand, can cause a thickening of the liquid found in the joint cavities, causing pain.
OTHER PROBLEMS
There are also studies that link climate change to other health problems. Kazuhito Kimoto, from the University Hospital of Dokkyo, Japan, found a relationship between the drop in air pressure and the increase in headaches. There are also several studies showing a higher incidence of heart attacks in the coldest seasons of the year. At that time, the hair also becomes more brittle, the nails become weaker, etc.
CONSULTANCY Dr. Eduardo dos Santos Paiva, member of the Committee on Pain, Fibromyalgia and Other Painful Soft Tissue Syndromes of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology
SOURCES Book Arthritis and Allied Conditions: A Textbook of Rheumatology, by JJR Duthie; article The Effect of Simultaneous Variations of Humidity and Barometric Pressure on Arthritisby Joseph P. Hollander and Sarantos Y. Yeostros