Common in All AiArthritis Diseases



• Periods of worsening symptoms are called flares. A flare can last for hours, days, weeks, or months.
• Condition improves with activity and exercise and worsens with rest.
• When inflammation is left uncontrolled due to lack of proper treatment, comorbidities can develop. 70% of patients with chronic, lifelong disease will develop comorbidities, including dual or triple diagnoses.
• Autoimmune diseases run in families. If anyone in your immediate family (parents, siblings) or extended family (aunts, uncles, grandparents) have been diagnosed with ANY autoimmune disease, there is the possibility of genetic predisposition.
  
  

 “Auto” Symptoms



• Severe fatigue or exhaustion that may not be helped by caffeine/stimulants and can happen even after a long period of rest.
• “Brain fog” - or periods of time where thinking gets clouded and it becomes difficult to concentrate.
• Flu-like symptoms, without having the flu- nausea, muscle weakness, and general malaise.
• Fever, typically low grade in autoimmune and higher grade in autoinflammatory (% strongly varies per disease).

Reference: Early Symptoms of AiArthritis Study, AiArthritis, 2019.

Inflammatory Arthritis Symptoms

• Severe stiffness in one or more joints, especially in the morning or after sitting for long periods of time. 
• Episodes of joint pain that may last for hours, days, or even weeks, that can appear and disappear suddenly. Often described as “jumping pain” into different locations.

Typically the joint pain will coincide with one or more “Auto” symptoms and start and stop suddenly - for no apparent reason (which is called a "flare").  Some people will experience all of the above symptoms, others only a few.  If you have any of the arthritis features, and at least one of the “Auto” features, please consult your physician about a referral to a rheumatologist.