Seasonal allergies may be a good thing if you have rheumatoid arthritis.
Cold and flu season is finally behind us, but for the 36 million Americans who have seasonal allergies, or hay fever, sniffing and sneezing season is in full bloom. There’s good news, though, behind that cloud of pollen. A small study from the Netherlands published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases suggests that having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may make you 50-percent less likely to have hay fever. But if you do have rheumatoid arthritis and seasonal allergies, the allergies may make your rheumatoid arthritis less severe.
Seasonal allergies occur when your body develops antibodies pollens released by trees, grasses or weeds. When you’re exposed to the offender, these antibodies trigger the release of chemicals such as histamine, which cause mucous membranes in your nose, sinuses and eyes to swell, resulting in cold-like symptoms, says Mark Jacobson, MD, a Hinsdale, Ill., allergy and asthma specialist and president of the Illinois Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Seasonal allergies commonly affect people in the spring and fall, and while they’re not often life-threatening, they can be life-disrupting. If not treated, chronic congestion from allergies can alter your sense of taste and smell and increase your susceptibility to chronic sinus infections and even asthma.
But treatment options for people with RA are a bit different than for the general public. Most people can get allergy shots to reduce the need to medicate for symptoms, with the possibility of long-term relief and prevention of allergy-related complications, including asthma, down the line. But allergy shots are not advised for people with an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, because they may cause disease complications.
People with autoimmune diseases can use over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants or nasal sprays to treat seasonal allergies. However, they should first consult a doctor or the pharmacists if they are also taking medications for other problems such as depression, sleep problems or anxiety, to avoid drug interactions, including increased sedative effects.
Allergy medications can be confused with arthritis medications. A corticosteroid nasal spray prescribed to treat seasonal allergies does not replace a corticosteroid pill prescribed to reduce arthritis inflammation. Most of the corticosteroid in a nasal spray doesn’t get into the bloodstream, so nasal sprays have little systemic effect. Abruptly stopping oral corticosteroid treatment may cause potentially fatal adrenal gland problems.
Best bet for people with rheumatoid arthritis: Minimize contact with pollen and irrigate your sinuses with a nasal spray to flush them out. Avoid outdoor activity during the morning hours, the main time when trees and grasses are pollinating, keep windows shut and run the air conditioner, particularly in the bedroom.
