Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the joints. People living with RA often experience joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and reduced mobility. Managing symptoms can be difficult because the disease can be unpredictable. Symptoms can worsen suddenly during “flares”, and infrequent clinic visits make it hard to track how symptoms change day to day.

Wearable devices allow people to collect health information more often, outside of clinical settings.

The study featured in our first 2026 edition of Tap into Research examines whether data from wearable devices, such as heart rate and step count, can help identify flares in people with RA.

How were wearables used in the study?

Participants wore an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Oura Ring, using their own device or one provided by the study. The devices recorded heart rate, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and step count. On average, researchers collected 154 days of data per participant, with devices worn for approximately 16 hours per day.

What did the study find?

The study included 53 participants living in the United States. Most participants (89%) were female, and the average age was 51.

Researchers examined two types of flares: symptomatic flares, based on daily symptom reports, and inflammatory flares, confirmed by laboratory tests.

During symptomatic flares, participants took fewer steps and had higher nighttime heart rates, compared to periods without symptomatic flares. Daytime and resting heart rate did not change during these periods.

During inflammatory flares, participants had higher daytime, nighttime, and resting heart rates compared to periods without inflammatory flares. Step count did not change during these periods.

Heart rate and step count began to change up to four weeks before the start of symptomatic and inflammatory flares.

Why does this matter?

These findings suggest that wearable data could help identify disease activity weeks before a flare begins. This early insight could support better disease monitoring, more personalised care, and timely changes to treatment or lifestyle.

Challenges remain, including securely storing wearable data, sharing results clearly with patients, and responding to early warning signs without causing unnecessary anxiety. Overall, this study highlights the potential for wearable devices to support continuous monitoring and improve the management of RA.

Read the paper: Wearable devices detect physiological changes that precede and are associated with symptomatic and inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis flares

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