MIXED VIEWS ON BAROMETRIC PRESSURE AND FIBROMYALGIA…

People with fibromyalgia often claim their symptoms can vary according to temperature changes with symptoms worsening for some, and providing relief for others.

In 1981, a study reported that a large percentage of Fibromyalgia patients may be more sensitive to changes in weather compared to non-Fibromyalgia subjects. They stated 90% of patients reported weather was one of the most important factors influencing their Fibromyalgia symptoms.

Fibromyalgia sufferers are affected by the ambient pressure especially if it goes down suddenly. If a storm approaches the pressure drops, causing the air in our joints to expand.

In one study by the National Fibromyalgia Association, people with the condition ranked weather changes as one of the leading aggravating influences on pain and stiffness.

In this study patients were given weather parameters like cloudiness, wind speed, barometric pressure, relative humidity, sunlight and temperature and asked to rate their pain scores according to weather.

The actual pain scores in different climates and weather conditions were examined and the fact that fibromyalgia pain could predict the weather the next day was evaluated for truthfulness.

Changes may be experienced in:

• Feeling more tired (fatigue)
• Sleeping more poorly (sleep dysfunction)
• Additional, specific pains, like migraine headaches
• All over, more generalized pain, like muscles aches

However other studies found no association between weather changes and fibromyalgia pain on the same or the next day.Further the onset or severity of pain does not predict weather changes on either the same or the next day.The study also found that patients who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia for less than 10 years had significantly greater weather sensitivity for pain.

 

Barometric pressure is a measurement of the weight that is exerted by the air all around us. When its a lovely sunny day then the barometric pressure tends to be quite high.

On a personal note the change in the weather greatly effects me, even air conditioning units can disrupt my muscle aches and pains.