Jack Frost is no friend when you have arthritis. Winter brings the challenges of sore throats, slippery sidewalks and cold, stiff joints. Linda Russell, MD, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, offers these tips for staying well, safe and comfortable when cold weather hits. Continue reading Cold Weather Checklist for People With Arthritis
Shorter days and cooler nights mean cold and flu season is coming, so it’s time to get your flu shot – especially if you have an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or lupus.
Need a good reason to get your flu vaccine this fall? Here are THREE:
Treatment guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America remind doctors and patients that people with a chronic inflammatory disease, even those who take immune-suppressing medications, should not shy away from getting flu and pneumonia vaccines.
People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, psoriatic arthritis and other autoimmune forms of arthritis face an elevated risk of infections, including influenza (the flu) and pneumonia. The increased risk may be due to the disease, which changes how the immune system functions, as well the medications used to control the disease, many of which suppress the immune system.