Reducing The Risk Of Heart Attacks By 80% Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers

Patients that deal with RA, rheumatoid arthritis, have something to celebrate. There has been a breakthrough in research that may prove to aid in the risk of heart attacks associated with the inflammatory disease, by 80%. Just what is RA you ask?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of many joints. An estimated 2.1 million Americans have RA, most of them women. Although joints are the principal body parts affected by RA, inflammation can develop in other organs as well. Heart attacks, resulting from inflammation of the coronary vessels, are more common in RA sufferers.

Researchers have been studying reducing the risk of heart attacks among patients by using a TNF-inhibitor in conjunction with the tried and true methotrexate. TNF-inhibitor is a drug that blocks cytokines and thus reduces stiffness, pain and swollen joints.

Researchers found that patients on a combination of TNF-inhibitors with methotrexate treatment had a heart attack risk of only 20 percent of the risk compared to patients taking methotrexate alone.

Interestingly enough, there was no benefit to taking the TNF-inhibitors alone. Thus the combination that makes the difference.

Adapted from American College of Rheumatology