Prevent Disease.com - Rheumatoid Arthritis Ups Overall Death Risk



		Rheumatoid Arthritis Ups Overall Death Risk Rheumatoid arthritis appears to raise the risk of death from any cause in men and women older than 40, a large study of UK patients has found. People with rheumatoid arthritis were 60 to 70 percent more likely to die from any cause during the study period than either healthy men and women or people with osteoarthritis, the common form of arthritis that typically strikes at an older age. Those with rheumatoid arthritis were also 30 to 60 percent more likely to suffer a cardiovascular complication such as a heart attack or stroke, researchers report in The Journal of Rheumatology. For the study, Dr. Douglas J. Watson and colleagues at Merck Research Laboratories in Pennsylvania, analyzed a database containing patient records from several hundred UK general practices dating back to 1987. They looked at more than 8,000 women and 3,500 men diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition in which the body's own immune system attacks the tissue lining the joints. It can also damage other parts of the body, such as the heart, lungs and kidneys. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not well understood, but research suggests that age, smoking, obesity and genetic factors may play a role in the development of the disease. Osteoarthritis is a progressive deterioration in the cartilage of joints, and can be a byproduct of strenuous sports, obesity or aging. Past research has shown that death risk -- whether from any cause, or from cardiovascular disease -- is higher among people with rheumatoid arthritis than in the general population. According to the study authors, the reasons are not fully clear, but certain aspects of rheumatoid arthritis -- chronic inflammation, the medications used to treat it, and the degree of functional disability -- may be factors. Chronic inflammation, for example, is believed to contribute to artery disease. "The results of this and other studies suggest that physicians should consider the potential risk of vascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and counsel and treat such patients accordingly," Watson's team concludes. Drugmaker Merck & Co. funded the study. SOURCE: The Journal of Rheumatology 2003:30:1196-1202. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".