Changes in the weather and air pollution may contribute to organ-specific exacerbation in patients with SLE, a study shows.

Using data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), researchers examined the effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration, temperature, relative humidity, winds, ozone concentration and barometric pressure on flare-ups associated with different organs in more than 1600 patients with SLE.

They calculated the average values for each factor 10 days prior to a patient visit.

The team from Johns Hopkins Lupus Center found statistically significant associations between environmental factors and lupus activity, they reported to delegates at the 2019 American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.