3 Things You Should Know About the Flu Shot When You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis

If you’re living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it’s important to get a flu vaccine every year. Having RA or another autoimmune disease makes you especially susceptible to infections, including the flu. Furthermore, some medications used to treat RA can increase your odds of getting sick.

Still, you may have concerns about getting a flu shot. You may have heard that the vaccine can cause RA flare-ups, or that taking certain RA drugs can raise the risk of flu vaccine side effects.

In this article, we lay your doubts to rest and give you three good reasons to get the flu vaccine if you’re living with RA.

Here are three reasons to get an annual flu shot:

1. People with autoimmune disorders are at greater risk for influenza. “Having an autoimmune disease like RA increases your risk of developing viral, bacterial, and fungal infections and can amplify their intensity,” says Cassandra Calabrese, DO, a physician in the rheumatology and infectious disease departments at Cleveland Clinic. “When you have RA, infections like the flu may be more severe for you than for those who don’t have an autoimmune condition, and you’re more likely to experience related complications like pneumonia,” she says.
2. Medications used to treat RA increase your odds of infection. Many drugs that are prescribed to treat RA work by suppressing the immune system, which increases your likelihood of catching the flu. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biologics, and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors can all make your body more susceptible to infections and viruses.

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    Steroids like prednisone can also leave you more susceptible to infection.

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3. The flu can be more serious than you might think. Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness that comes on suddenly and is characterized by fever, chills, cough, and muscle or body aches. Some adults may also experience vomiting or diarrhea with the flu. Most people will recover within two weeks, but some may develop bronchitis or sinus or ear infections. In extreme cases, the flu may lead to hospitalization and can even be fatal.

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• Pneumonia People over 50 or with compromised immune systems should receive an annual pneumonia vaccine. There are different types of this vaccine; your healthcare provider can advise you on which ones are best for you.
• Shingles Adults over 50 should receive two doses of a nonlive shingles vaccine, separated by two to six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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• COVID-19 Booster shots, when they become available, can protect you from new variants of the virus.

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Safety Concerns

Talk to your rheumatologist about which vaccines are best for you and when you should get them.

People with RA who contract influenza are at a higher risk of the following flu complications:

• Pneumonia
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Hospitalization
• Premature death

Other things to do to help protect yourself against the flu include:

• Wash your hands regularly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
• Ask other members of your household to get vaccinated, and avoid close contact with people who become ill.
• Practice a healthy lifestyle by getting plenty of sleep, exercising regularly, managing stress, staying hydrated, and eating healthily.

• If you’re living with RA, it’s all the more important to get the flu shot. This is because both the illness and RA medications weaken your immunity, making you more prone to complications from the flu.
• The flu shot greatly reduces your risk of complications, hospitalization, and death from influenza.
• If you have safety concerns, discuss them with your healthcare provider. Remember that the vast majority of studies on flu shots and rheumatoid arthritis found no increased risk of flare-ups from the vaccine.

Additional reporting by Ana Sandoiu.