If you have RA, your hay fever may be less severe. But it's still smart to avoid exposure to pollen, and coordinate your over-the-counter and prescription medications.

There's a link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and seasonal allergies — but experts aren't sure why. We do know that RA is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's healthy organs and tissues as though they were foreign invaders. Likewise, says Marc Jacobson, MD, of Hinsdale, Ill., an allergist/immunologist in private practice and past president of the Illinois Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to exposure to antigens such as pollen and mold from trees, grass, and weeds in the environment.

Because your body senses these antigens as foreign and a threat, your body produces antibodies. The antibodies, part of your immune system that normally helps protect you from infections, travel to your cells. Your cells release chemicals called histamines, causing the mucous membranes in your eyes, nose, and sinuses to swell. Seasonal allergies aren't often life-threatening, Dr. Jacobson says, but they can make you uncomfortable, causing sneezing, stuffiness, a runny nose, and itchiness in your nose, the roof of your mouth, throat, eyes, or ears.

Related: 9 Tips for Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms and Seasonal Allergies

But if you do have RA and seasonal allergies, what can you do to treat those cold-like symptoms? Jacobson says his recommendations are the same regardless of whether or not you have RA. Start by trying to at least minimize pollen exposure by:

• Keeping the windows in your home closed. "This prevents pollens from drifting into your home," Jacobson says. Run the air conditioner instead.
• Minimizing early morning activity when pollen levels are at their highest, between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.
• Keeping your car windows closed when driving
• Staying indoors on windy days when pollen is likely to be present in higher amounts in the air
• Taking a vacation during the height of the pollen season to a more pollen-free area, such as the beach or an ocean cruise
• Avoiding yard work, or wearing a mask or bandana over your nose and mouth when working outside
• Using a clothes dryer to machine-dry bedding and clothing, instead of hanging clothes on a clothesline, which can cause laundry to become coated with pollen
• Washing your hair in the evening before bedtime to avoid getting pollen on your pillow

Related: Frequently Asked Questions About Rheumatoid Arthritis

Cautions on OTC and Prescription Treatments

You can use over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants, or nasal sprays to treat your hay fever symptoms, but if you have RA, you should consult with your doctor or pharmacist first. It's especially important that you coordinate your medications if you're taking them for other problems such as depression, sleep problems, or anxiety, as they may have sedative effects. You could risk having dangerous drug interactions.

Allergy shots are not recommended for people with rheumatoid arthritis. They can cause disease complications, Jacobson says. Also, don't confuse or interchange your hay fever medications with the medications that treat your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Your doctor may suggest that you use a corticosteroid nasal spray to treat seasonal allergies, but that doesn't replace the corticosteroid pill that your doctor prescribed to reduce inflammation from arthritis. The corticosteroid in the nasal spray doesn't get into the bloodstream, so it will have little effect on your system. Abruptly stopping your oral corticosteroid treatment could potentially cause serious health problems.

Having RA may reduce your chances of having seasonal allergies, but it doesn't mean you won't have them. If you do, limit your exposure to pollen and mold in the air and talk to an allergist about the medical treatment that's best for you.