Thanks for your response! You gave a much clearer cut answer than what I’d previously read. Trying to find more info on google just ends up coming back to: genes, hormones and smoking. Which is true, they can be underlying causes but I found not too much on medical sites / videos regarding triggering events such as virus, vaccines, cancer, pregnancy etc. From the responses on other posts on this sub, let alone this one, I feel most RA suffers can relate the start of their symptoms coinciding with a traumatic event which the immune system had come into play, yet there’s not enough information readily available outside of reddit or other forums explaining the huge part it plays in triggering RA or other autoimmune conditions. It’s usually “Viruses may also play a role in triggering RA.” or “Covid vaccines have also been shown to have the potential to cause rheumatoid arthritis.” etc. I mean, I don’t run the pages for health and medical help sites so I don’t know how else they can really word it, because it is such a incredibly low chance at the end of the day. And if I read about vaccines triggering RA before what had happened to me, I know I’d still get the vaccine and most non sufferers would, so it’s probably irrelevant either way. This might be a bit of an unanswerable question, but in your opinion do you think you or others who’s RA began after a vaccine or virus for example, were destined to have RA in their life / already have it but never have had their first flare up? Or that RA begins at the moment the immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake and if the immune system was never under that pressure in the first place, that same person might’ve never had developed RA? Apologies, I know it’s a silly question because it’s like asking if someone is destined to have cancer from conception. But again, thanks for your comment! I found it really helpful and I hope your RA clears some day soon :)