Study: Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women Increases Risk of Heart Attack

Having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doubles the risk that women will suffer a heart attack, according to a study in the Feb. 17 rapid access issue of Circulation.

A key component of rheumatoid arthritis is inflammation, which is also thought to contribute to fatty build up in the blood vessels, one of the known causes of a heart attack.

Researchers studied the relationship between heart attack and rheumatoid arthritis by 114,342 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. There were 2,296 heart attacks and 1,326 strokes the women studied. Researchers confirmed rheumatoid arthritis in 527 women.

Women with rheumatoid arthritis were found to have a two-fold increased risk of heart attacks compared with women without rheumatoid arthritis.

The association remained even after adjusting for known and potential cardiovascular risk factors. In addition, those with RA for at least 10 years had three times the risk of heart attack compared to women without rheumatoid arthritis.

Study author Dr. Daniel H. Solomon, an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said the findings demonstrate that rheumatoid arthritis should be a recognized marker for increased risk of a heart attack.

"It would be prudent to consider aggressive cardiac preventive measures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis to address coronary heart disease risk factors," Solomon said.

Researchers encourage further examination of whether early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs may reduce the risk of heart attack.

Other sources: American Heart Association