OA and RA

That’s a great question, and it’s definitely worth asking your healthcare provider for a more personalized answer. OA and RA are different in how they affect the joints, but having OA long-term can sometimes add extra stress on your joints, which might make managing RA symptoms more challenging. It’s possible that the inflammation and joint damage from RA could feel worse in areas already impacted by OA. Talking with your doctor or rheumatologist about how these conditions might interact. How are you currently managing both OA and RA? -Latoya (Team Member)

Hi thank you for taking the time to ask this. I wouldn't say it made it worse, but it definitely could add to the symptoms you may be experience i.e. pain, inflammation etc. If you've already been dealing with OA and any damage, RA sort of falls in line with that if it makes sense. I know many have OA in tandem with RA too. Have you talked to your doctor about this? Here's a good article that explains the two. Hope it helps. Feel free to reach back out with any other questions. https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/differences-rheumatoid-arthritis-osteoarthritis -Effie, team member

Hi . As others have noted, it may be tough to know if osteoarthritis made the RA worse. The question can also be asked in reverse - does RA make OA worse, and in the case the research points to yes. One thing I know and have often said is that if a person has RA, they will sooner or later get OA, such as discussed in this article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7511507/. Another thing that can probably be counted on is that, as Effie said, the combination may be worse than either one alone. Your rheumatologist should be able to offer more information on any interaction between the two or even how their different actions create different, yet compounding issues. Best, Richard (Team Member)