- More than 1.3 million adults in the United States are affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and swelling in the joints.
- Research suggests that inflammation can cause atherosclerosis and may contribute to heart disease, which may explain the higher incidence of heart disease among individuals with RA.
- According to a recent study, medications commonly prescribed to alleviate joint inflammation in RA also appear to decrease the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease.
A new study, completed by researchers at Columbia University in New York and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, suggests that some drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may also help decrease the risk of heart disease.
The research involved 115 participants who had moderate to severe RA and were not responding well to methotrexate treatment.
In RA, the immune system attacks healthy joint tissue, leading to painful and often debilitating symptoms such as joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. Although there is currently no cure, various treatments are available to help manage the symptoms.
When treating moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, doctors usually suggest methotrexate as the first treatment. However, most people will also take a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) or a combination of three drugs called triple therapy, which includes methotrexate along with sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine, at some point.
Recent research shows that immunomodulatory drugs used to lower inflammation considerably decrease the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events in individuals who have cardiovascular disease.
However, it was uncertain if these medications would have a comparable impact on people who have rheumatoid arthritis, a group that has about a
The participants in the new study were randomly assigned to one of two groups.
At…
Read the full article here