By Anne-Marie Botek and June Fletcher
Those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a new report in Arthritis Research & Therapy.
Researchers from the Institution of Public Health and Clinical Medicine/Rheumatology, University Hospital in Sweden, followed more than 400 people with RA for five years after their initial diagnosis.
They found that the hallmark inflammation of RA, in combination with traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure and unhealthy triglyceride levels, elevated a person's risk for developing heart disease or having a cardiovascular event like a heart attack.
However, those who took better care of themselves by reducing their blood pressure, weight and smoking, and who took disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, lowered their risk.
An earlier Mayo clinic study also noted an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in RA patients and suggested that one reason may be because they take so many painkillers, they don't feel chest pain as much as someone who does not take such medication.