Rheumatoid arthritis increases risk of heart disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A comparison study reveals that people with rheumatoid arthritis run an increased risk of coronary artery disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory condition leading to pain in the joints. Inflammation has been linked to heart disease, in recent research, and studies have also shown that those with RA have an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack. A new study from doctors at the Mayo Clinic now confirms this link.

They studied a group of patients who had RA and newly diagnosed coronary heart disease. They compared them with another group, who had heart disease but not RA. As part of the study, the researchers carried out a coronary angiogram to assess the state of the blood vessels serving the heart.

The patients with RA had more advanced heart disease at the time of diagnosis. They were also twice as likely to die from heart disease as those without RA. The researchers believe that the disease process in RA is likely to accelerate heart disease. This may happen through inflammatory T cells, which are active in RA, accumulating within the walls of the arteries.

Source
Arthritis Research & Therapy 28th June 2005

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