Prolonged Exposure to Polluted Air May Be Silently…

Prolonged Exposure to Polluted Air May Be Silently Triggering Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares Air pollution has long been linked to lung and heart disease, but a new large scale study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases suggests it may also be worsening rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune condition already affecting up to 1% of adults worldwide. What researchers already knew, and what remained unclear: Earlier population studies had linked polluted air to a higher likelihood of developing rheumatoid arthritis in the first place. What hadn't been clearly established was whether air pollution could also affect disease activity and trigger flares in people who already have the condition, and what biological process might explain such a connection. The study: Researchers in South Korea followed 1,070 patients with rheumatoid arthritis at a major medical centre, tracking 12,583 outpatient visits over 4 years. They compared monthly levels of six common air pollutants against disease activity and flare outcomes recorded at each visit, carefully adjusting for patient demographics, antibody status, medications, socioeconomic factors, and weather. A rigorous second analysis to strengthen the findings: To further validate their