Showing posts with label Arthritis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arthritis. Show all posts

08 November 2009

H1N1 and Rheumatoid arthritis

We know from talking about arthritis the past couple of weeks that Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of inflammatory arthritis and Osteoarthritis (OA) is not. So I was wondering, since getting a H1N1 flu shot is a very popular subject right now, does it even work for people with Rheumatoid arthritis who have problems with their immune system and are probably taking medication that suppresses their immune system. Well, the CDC does recommend that people with inflammatory arthritis get flu shots. They also recommend that they do not get the nasal-spray, since it contains live, but weakened flu viruses. They recommend the flu shot since it contains flu viruses that have been killed, so it is safer for people who have weaker immune systems. The CDC only had recommendations so I looked further and found a study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases that showed proof that people with rheumatoid arthritis who were taking immunosuppressant drugs were able to respond to the flu shot. Their responses were not strong, but at least the flu vaccine was making the infections milder, making it worth getting.