When paired with a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the flu can be life-threatening because the immunosuppressive drugs used to treat RA also decrease your ability to prevent or fight off infections, and so you are more susceptible to illness. Therefore, flu prevention is the name of the game and the key to this is in paying attention to symptoms, and taking advantage of flu prevention techniques such as hand washing and vaccinations.
According to Gregory Poland, MD, director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ‘People need to be aware of what flu is and isn’t. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, and fatigue that knocks you out within a few hours. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea are not signs of the flu.’ He adds that if you have RA, you should seek treatment within 48 hours of the first sign of flu symptoms. Pills and inhalers can help to shorten the length of the flu and prevent complications.
Scott Zashin, MD, a clinical professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the University of Texas South-western Medical School in Dallas adds that if you want to prevent flu, a yearly flu vaccine is one of the best ways to do it, but you shouldn’t opt for nasal spray flu vaccination if your immune system is compromised. Nasal sprays contain live but weakened viruses, which can harm your wellness if you have RA so you should instead get your vaccine via an injection.
Also, make yourself aware of the health of those that live around you or visit often, and see if they will also consider a flu vaccine to prevent the illness from spreading without their knowledge. Poland says, ‘Someone infected with flu becomes contagious 24 to 36 hours before getting symptoms.’ Consider avoiding crowded areas where you’ll come into contact with more germs, wear a mask when possible, and ask others to sneeze into a tissue, throw away the tissue, and then wash their hands.
Other than that, make sure that you are sleeping regular hours, eating healthy meals and snacks, drinking water, exercising and washing your hands frequently, and you’ll be reducing your risk of flu, even when you have RA.