If you have an auto immune condition do other illnesses trigger flares?

[TheOctopus]

If you have an auto immune condition do other illnesses trigger flares?

I have RA which has been completely controlled for the last nine months. No pain, no fatigue felt normal. I've loved being pain free and active, have got fit, gym, swimming, taken up dancing.
I've been having digestive symptoms for a few months and I'm on a looong waiting list to be seen by gastro.
Suddenly my RA has flared for no obvious reason. I'm gutted because it saps all my energy and I'm struggling to do all the things I've been enjoying.

Yes, indubitably.

I have RA, Lupus, Sjogren's, diabetes, an allergy to pollen, dust, animal dander and most cleaning products, and Hashimoto's.

Whenever my immune system comes under attack from an infection, or when I am run down and sleeping badly the first sign is usually explosive sneezing fits that last for hours, and a torrent of snot pouring from both nostrils. Nothing like the tickly drip and sneeze you get from a normal cold in the nose, this is like sitting under a flowering birch tree on a sunny day, eyes, nose and sinuses all streaming in immune mediated response.

I've found my flares have become less frequent, and less serious since I started following the Zoe Food Science podcasts to improve my gut microbiome. 70% of the immune system is in the gut, and if you have the right kind of bacteria, feed them enough water soluble fibre and give them a 16 hour overnight fast they respond by eating the tatty frayed lining of the gut, (which stimulates the gut wall to become strong and healthy) and convert the waste products into short chain fatty acids that are building blocks for all kind of inflammation mopping up operations throughout the body.

Following their advice has helped me shed 97 excess kilos and get back into the healthy BMI range for the first time, after 40 years of yoyo dieting and relentless weight gain. It has cured my high blood pressure so that I no longer need to take two medicines to keep gaskets from blowing. My blood glucose stays within the healthy range 100% of the time (it was 60-70% back when I still needed 4 different diabetes medication, replaced since February 2025 by a single weekly Mounjaro injection). Instead of lying awake staring at the ceiling till dawn and then sleeping half way into the afternoon, I now get sleepy by 11 and am wide awake by 7:30.

Infuriatingly, despite the massive weight loss (more than 15 stone in old money) my right leg is still a stabby, treacherous bastard that can't even lift itself in and out of of a normal car.

I had assumed that the GP would be forced to finally take me seriously (after decades of blaming any mobility problems on my weight, and dismissing me with advice to eat less and move more) I just got fobbed off again. I am now 69 years old, so all the things that were previously attributed to being morbidly obese are now just "age related" and not worth the expense of treating.

My neighbour recently had a hip operation, only to hear that he was too old to be offered post operative physiotherapy, which is now only available to the under 65s! I would feel a lot more sanguine about the assisted dying bill proposals if I wasn't absolutely sure that it will be used to free up resources by removing useless eaters!

Absolutely. I have two autoimmune conditions - Lupus and Ankylosing Spondylitis. So many things can trigger a flare and I flare most of the time to be honest.

@stealthsquirrelnutkin interesting about the gut. Unfortunately I started with a long list of digestive symptoms in February. Lots of things ruled out by GP who then referred me to gastro and washed her hands of me.
All made worse by eating fat. I've lost weight I didn't want to.
I love food and I think I had a pretty healthy diet but now I can't eat much of what I used to eat. It seems to flare up for a couple of months then calm down a bit. After five months of this my RA has flared and I'm convinced it's my digestive system being inflamed. I don't want to contact rheumatology because really I believe the root cause is gastric.
I've had to cancel three holidays abroad this year. Due to go on holiday in the UK tomorrow and feel crap.

I have microscopic colitis which is generally under control but often the first sign I am getting a cold is digestive issues. I’ll often have a bit of flare and then 2 days later it’s sore throat and runny nose time.

That must be very frustrating.

I wonder if it would be worth taking a punt on the probiotic specially designed for IBS sufferers?

https://kijimea.co.uk/products/kijimea-ibs-pro from the reviews it seems to be helpful for people with IBS who are also often told to avoid all kinds of foods that can make the condition worse.

The capsules are expensive, at £44.30 for a 4 week supply, but worth a try if you can spare the cash.

I've been taking their Kijimea K53 Advance for a year, as well as scoffing all the fermented foods, in the hope that their blend of organisms will help keep my inflammation levels down.

My own guts are made of cast iron, so I haven't been tempted to try the IBS formulation, but if I was suffering from digestive issues I'd give them a try if I had the money.

Edited to add that my sister, who has problems swallowing tablets, pulls the capsules apart and sprinkles the contents into yogurt or onto the mustard of a ham sandwich.

@stealthsquirrelnutkin I'll look at that thank you.
I use to have cast iron guts until I took alendronic acid which gave me gastritis.
Current problem is different though. Oddly enough I'm fine eating spicy or acidic food which is why I don't think it's actually a stomach problem, more further down the digestive system. I've been eating sauerkraut and kimchi to help gut. I take so many drugs I can swallow horse pills.