Great question — and a frustrating double-whammy that many people with RA know all too well.
With RA, the immune system is already overactive and misfiring, attacking healthy tissue instead of just threats. Many RA medications — especially biologics and DMARDs — work by suppressing parts of the immune system to reduce that Show Full Answer
Great question — and a frustrating double-whammy that many people with RA know all too well.
With RA, the immune system is already overactive and misfiring, attacking healthy tissue instead of just threats. Many RA medications — especially biologics and DMARDs — work by suppressing parts of the immune system to reduce that inflammation. While this helps protect your joints, it also lowers your body's defenses against outside invaders like viruses and bacteria, making infections easier to pick up. Then, when an infection does take hold, the body mounts an inflammatory response to fight it off. For someone with RA, that surge of inflammation doesn't stay neatly contained — it can spill over and trigger a full RA flare.
Common flare triggers related to infection include:
- Viral illnesses
- Bacterial infections
- General physical stress on the body from being sick
As one myRAteam member shared after getting sick, their RA "flared up immediately after" — which is a really common experience. The good news is that infection-triggered flares often improve once you recover from the illness. Staying on top of your RA medications consistently is one of the best ways to reduce flare frequency. If a flare lasts more than two days, it's worth reaching out to your rheumatologist — early treatment can help prevent things from getting worse.
September 27
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