Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes Heart Risks In Women

Rheumatoid Arthritis has been rising in women and researchers have noted an increase in heart attacks because of it. Men, on the other hand have not experienced an increase, and this news comes after a 40 year decline in Rheumatoid Arthritis in women.

It seems new patients, those diagnosed within the first 10 years, have more than a 45% risk of developing heart failure and had a 75% greater risk of dying according to researchers. A condition known as diastolic dysfunction can impair the function of the ventricles in the heart causing them to fill with blood causing heart failure. Rheumatoid Arthritis patients “…have an increased risk of having a myocardial infarction (heart attack), and that this risk increase is manifest already early in Rheumatoid Arthritis disease progress,” doctoral student Marie Gunnarsson said in an American College Of Rheumatology news release.

Doctors don’t know if this increase is caused by hormonal or environmental circumstances. They are in agreement that if Rheumatoid Arthritis is caught early enough and with the proper management and aggressive therapy, it could make a difference in the long run.

Kimberly Clarke, 41 was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis four years ago. She’s done a lot of research on her own about the disease and has come to the conclusion that doctors don’t really know what caused her disease. But, they are in agreement on one thing: extreme stress in the body has been known to trigger the disease.

Clarke worked for an automobile manufacturer in Michigan and has been unable to work since the disease attacked her body. As a health conscious young woman, she had no idea what was wrong with her when she went to the doctor for what she thought was a routine job-related pain.

“I’ve learned that there is no known cause and they (her doctors) think extreme stress in the body may trigger it. Apparently, the disease can lie dormant inside of you until something causes it to appear. It could be something as simple as the flu or in my case a snapped tendon.”

The results from the 10-year study were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals in San Francisco. It charted the time period between 1995- 2005 and showed an increase in Rheumatoid Arthritis of 54 per 100,000 patients compared to 36 per 100,000 10 years before. The incidence in men remained steady of only 29 per 100,000 cases.

Maybe the answer for women could lie in hormones. Clarke noted that while she was pregnant, her Rheumatoid Arthritis went into remission. Saying she could “walk around easier” after the third month of her pregnancy. There are over 300 types of the disease ranging from mild to severe. Clarke’s form of Rheumatoid Arthritis is characterized as severe.

Early identification of the disease can be beneficial, if you know what to look for. If you have morning stiffness that lasts a couple of hours or even an entire day as well as energy loss and a lack of appetite, you should alert your doctor as soon as possible. These symptoms have been found to be related to Rheumatoid Arthritis.