What Is the Best Climate for People With Lupus?

Many people with lupus have long insisted that weather changes can impact their symptoms. Now, research is backing those claims.

"Lupus" is an umbrella term for several related autoimmune diseases. The most common type is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in which a misfiring immune system attacks several systems in the body and cause inflammation.

This article looks at the connections between weather, environment, and lupus symptoms.

How Weather Affects Lupus

Only a few studies have been done on how weather affects lupus symptoms.

The first significant study looked at system-specific effects of weather changes rather than at overall lupus symptoms and flares. That means weather’s impact on you may depend on what body systems lupus is attacking.

Researchers noted weather-related symptom flares for several categories:

• Joint pain and stiffness
• Skin rashes
• Renal (kidneys) 
• Neurologic (brain and nerves)
• Hematologic (blood)
• Pulmonary (lungs)
• Serositis (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart, lungs, abdomen, and other organs)

The study also tracked weather changes in the 10 days before people sought medical attention for lupus flares, looking at:

• Temperature increases and decreases
• Ozone concentration
• Residual wind
• Humidity increases
• Fine particulate matter (pollution) in the air
• Barometric pressure changes

Researchers found associations with all the weather changes except for barometric pressure. A more recent study verified many of the results summarized in the table below.

Additional Studies

Cold temperatures significantly affect people with lupus who also have Raynaud's syndrome. This condition causes your hands to get extremely cold when exposed to moderately cold temperatures. The skin may turn white, blue, purple, or red, which can be quite painful.

Other studies have found:

• High pollution levels in the air increase airway and systemic (body-wide) inflammation in juvenile SLE.
• Wildfire smoke, which creates fine particulates, can worsen SLE activity.
• Exposure to low temperatures increases hospital readmissions for people with SLE.
• Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is known to worsen SLE symptoms, and some research suggests it may be linked to the development of lupus.
  

Ideal Places for People With Lupus

With what researchers have learned so far about climate's effect on SLE, it's hard to say what is the best climate for lupus. It depends on your symptoms, which can change throughout the disease.

Based on the research, it may be best to live someplace where:

• The weather doesn't have extreme or frequent fluctuations.
• It's not very humid or windy.
• Air pollution levels are low.

It's important to note that the studies so far only show a correlation between these weather changes and lupus symptoms, so there is no guarantee moving somewhere different will improve your health. The studies don't establish climate factors as a cause. It'll take more research to understand the relationship entirely.

Lupus Treatment

Lupus treatment usually involves one or more medications such as:

• Antimalarial drugs: Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine), Aralen (chloroquine)
• Systemic steroids: Prednisone, hydrocortisone
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs): Advil/Motrin (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen), Celebrex (celecoxib), Relafen (nabumetone)
• Immunosuppressants: Rheumatrex (methotrexate), CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil), Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide)
• Monoclonal antibodies: Benlysta (belimumab), Saphnelo (anifrolumab-fnia)
• Blood thinners: Coumadin (warfarin), Low-dose aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)

The medications also help to prevent flares whenever possible.

Summary 

Studies suggest weather changes and air pollution may impact lupus symptoms. Specific changes, like temperature and humidity fluctuations, appear only to affect flares involving certain systems, such as the kidneys or lungs. Research has established links but not whether those factors cause lupus symptoms to worsen. The best places to live may be those with moderate temperature fluctuations and low levels of wind, humidity, and air pollution.

A Word From Verywell

Jobs, families, relationships, and finances are all major factors in where you choose to live. If moving isn’t an option, you can use the growing knowledge about the possible impact of weather changes to manage your lupus in other ways. This may include keeping an eye on temperature and humidity fluctuations and planning for extra rest when changes are happening. Protecting yourself from sunlight, extreme temperatures, wind, and air pollution may help ease your symptoms.