Flares in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis after Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty: Rates, Characteristics, and Risk Factors.

Objective: Rates of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) remain high for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who are at risk of flaring after surgery. We aimed to describe rates, characteristics, and risk factors of RA flare within 6 weeks of THA and TKA.

Methods: Patients with RA were recruited prior to elective THA and TKA surgery and prospectively followed.