Seasonal IBD?

I notice, like clockwork, my health gets worse and my symptoms flare up the beginning of fall and through the winter. I consider this time the "danger zone" for flaring. Is the simplest explanation that this is a low immune time in general for people?

I am never afraid of having a flare in the summer time.

I thought maybe the connection was vitamin D but increasing my levels in the fall doesn't seem to change things.

I can confirm that my UC (and IBS before that) follow this pattern for years. I always got worse in early fall (end of summer) and then again a bit low in spring (March).

At first, 7-8 years ago, when my IBS symptoms first appeared I was normal all year round and then early fall I had some weird stomach pain. Eventually it progressed and last year early fall I started to get horrible D with mucus which later was diagnosed as UC.

So, yes, this pattern is quite widely found in UC patients around. I don't know if it's general for all autoimmune diseases and infections but I have find out that the same happens also to lyme patients etc.

I have no seasonal connection to flares. What meds are you on..
and are you on maintenance meds?

I suspect that the early symptoms tend to be either ignored or not noted until things are more obvious to one's criteria of what a flare is.

q

I tend to flare now. A lot of stress at work this time of year and into the beginning of next year. Let's hope I stay in remission.

I'm very interested in this topic, as I've been noticing a clear pattern to my UC flare ups as well. I was diagnosed as a young child (7 years) with a severe case. I'm now 27 and thankfully over the years my remissions have been longer and longer with proper medical management. That said, when I get sick it's still always in September!

I'm an engineer by training and am considering building a simple system to control light, humidity, temperature, and air quality indoors. Of course it won't work perfectly (and I don't spend all day inside), but there must be something that's getting our immune systems revved up seasonally whether that be allergies or just natural cycles; maybe emulating summer conditions while I'm inside will "trick" my body into not starting that cycle?

Post Edited (RocketMan12) : 11/20/2016 7:29:08 PM (GMT-7)

Over the 5 years I've had UC, my flares have always been in the winter/early spring.

To be fair, this is also when university examinations are for me, and I feel stress is my main trigger.

I always sort of feel more "at risk" once it starts getting dark earlier and earlier, nothing concrete, but I've noticed a link.

Never had a flare in the summer.

(This is obviously all purely anecdotal, but it's interesting that other people have noticed a similar connection.)