While you may not be able to stop an autoimmune disease from developing, you can definitely take steps to prevent long-term joint damage. The key is to catch symptoms early like morning stiffness, swelling, or persistent fatigue and not brush them off as just age or stress. Starting treatment promptly can slow down or even halt the joint destruction.While you may not be able to stop an autoimmune disease from developing, you can definitely take steps to prevent long-term joint damage. The key is to catch symptoms early like morning stiffness, swelling, or persistent fatigue and not brush them off as just age or stress. Starting treatment promptly can slow down or even halt the joint destruction.