Relationship between synoptic weather type and emergency department visits for different types of pain across the Triangle region of North Carolina

Abstract

Many people around the world are impacted by some form of bodily pain. Outside factors, such as weather, are thought to help trigger pain, especially in those who have pain-related conditions. When it comes to human health and comfort, understanding the potential external factors that aide in triggering pain is essential. Identifying such factors makes prevention and treatment of pain more feasible. This study focused on how those who suffer from various pain-related conditions (fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and general back pain) are impacted by different synoptic weather types (i.e., air masses). Synoptic weather types and emergency department (ED) visits for pain in select central North Carolina counties were collected over a seven-year period to determine a potential relationship. Bootstrapped confidence intervals revealed that moist tropical weather types resulted in the highest number of ED visits for each of the conditions examined, while moist polar weather types often resulted in the fewest. The barometric pressure changes associated with transitional weather types, which are often associated with fronts, did not have any significant relationships with pain.

Temperature might increase the hospital admission risk for rheumatoid arthritis patients in Anqing, China: a time-series study

“…In a comprehensive systematic review conducted by Beukenhorst et al ( 2020 ), no link or opposite associations between temperatures and RA pain were found in different studies, and potential effects in different directions of temperature appeared in different populations. Furthermore, Elcik et al ( 2020 ) stated distinguishing results noted for RA, that warmer air masses contributed to the greatest number of emergency room visits, while colder air masses led to the fewest. Taken together, these findings show that changes in temperature might be associated with the risk of development or deterioration of RA.…”