Study: Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients May Be at Higher Risk of Infections

Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis appear to be at a higher than average risk of developing infections, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic.

Researchers developed a study to compare the frequency of infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared with people free from the disease.

The study's patient group included Minnesota residents age 18 years and older who were first diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis between 1955 and 1994. The average age of the participants was 58 and 73 percent were female. One age- and sex-matched control who did not have arthritis was selected for each study participant.

The 609 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 609 subjects without rheumatoid arthritis were followed for an average of 12.7 years. Those with rheumatoid arthritis showed a higher rate of death and were 70 percent more likely to acquire an infection during the study's timeframe.

Sites of infection with the highest risk ratios were bone, joints, skin, soft tissues and the respiratory tract, according to the study published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

"In this study, patients with rheumatoid arthritis were at increased risk of developing infections compared with non-rheumatoid arthritis patients," concluded the researchers. This may be due to the effects of rheumatoid arthritis on the immune system or to agents with immunosuppressive effects used in its treatment, they added.

Other sources: Arthritis and Rheumatism