What Triggers Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares?

Part of successful rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management is understanding what triggers your flares. Flare-ups are times when inflammation levels are high, and your symptoms feel worse. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in your joints. This can also lead to complications with your heart, lungs, nerves, eyes, and skin.

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease. It typically affects multiple joints simultaneously, commonly involving the hands, wrists, and knees. Different factors can trigger RA, as experienced by many, including Leslie Rott who was diagnosed with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 22.

The causes of flares can vary by disease. In rheumatoid arthritis, a flare can be related to natural variations in the processes that cause inflammation. This means flares can vary in intensity, duration, and frequency, but they’re usually reversible if treated promptly.

Rheumatoid arthritis and gout are both types of painful arthritis. In gout, uric acid crystals cause inflammation, whereas in rheumatoid arthritis, it’s the immune system that causes joint damage. RA is a chronic disease that causes severe inflammation of the joints, affecting their appearance and function. In the hands, RA may cause deformities in the joints of the fingers, making it difficult to move them.

For more information, visit WebMD, Mayo Clinic, CDC, Healthline, Arthritis Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Medicine for detailed information.