A recent study has determined that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients that have prolonged use of drugs such as methotrexate, glucocorticoids and TNF-alpha blockers to control the disease may be protecting their hearts as well.
Researchers from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain studied data from over 4300 RA patients from 15 countries.
One finding was that traditional risk factors – high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol – were significant factors is increase risk for cardiovascular disease. However, they found that physical inactivity and obesity were not cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Another discovery was a link between rheumatoid arthritis related conditions, such as inflammation of blood vessels, and heart attack. And, as previously found, men have a higher risk for cardiovascular event.
After taking these factors into account the research team concluded that long term use of certain arthritis drugs, specifically methotrexate, leflunomide, sulfasalazine, glufoforticoids and biologic agents, significantly lowered the risk of death from a cardiovascular event.
According to study lead Dr. Antonio Naranjo: “Methotrexate, other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and biologic agents could reduce the extra risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke that patients with rheumatoid arthritis have, through the control of inflammation.”
Dr. Naranjo also says that this study indicates that RA patients need to control both the traditional cardiovascular risk factors as well as the inflammatory activity of rheumatoid arthritis.
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Originally posted 2008-04-02 18:46:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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