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News Releases
It Is Never Too Early to Protect Your Heart, Especially for People with Arthritis
Columbia, Mo. (Feb. 14, 2006) For people with arthritis, the heart probably won't get as much attention and care as those painful joints do, although research has detected a close link between arthritis and heart disease. February is American Heart Month. If you have arthritis and haven't considered cardiac prevention yet, it is the right time to put your heart in the spotlight.
Cardiovascular disease is associated with arthritis in many different ways. The most common heart problem that people with arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus, should watch out for is atherosclerosis, the thickening and hardening of the arteries. Pericarditis, which refers to the inflammation of the lining of the heart, is another problem commonly found in people with RA and lupus, which can lead to congestive heart failure characterized by shortness of breath and fluid accumulation in the lungs. People with lupus should also be aware of the increased risk of clotting associated with antiphospholipid antibodies. For individuals who have these antibodies, the risk of heart attack and stroke is increased.
But atherosclerosis and pericarditis are far from being the only cardiac risk related to arthritis. For people with RA, the risk of heart attack may be increased two-fold over an extended period of time, according to a Harvard Medical School study based on data collected from about 114,000 women over the course of 20 years. Another study conducted in Finland tracked 7,000 people over a 30-year period and found a strong link between heart disease and osteoarthritis in the fingers. Men with osteoarthritis in at least one finger were found to be 40% more likely to die of heart disease.
Why are people with arthritis more prone to increased risk of heart disease?
No one knows exactly what causes the arthritis-cardiovascular disease connection. Some physicians speculate that the sedentary lifestyle of people with arthritis is the underlying reason. Other researchers suspect that some commonly prescribed arthritis medications might increase the risk of heart disease. For instance, glucocorticoids, which are prescribed for a lot of inflammatory forms of arthritis, could increase blood fats, hypertension and body weight, all of which are on the list of heart disease risk factors.
In recent years, however, more attention has been devoted to inflammation, a culprit that some researchers believe is responsible for not only RA but also certain types of cardiovascular disease. The repeated inflammatory process may also harm blood vessels, resulting in atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, a condition that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and other forms of coronary artery disease.
How to reduce your risk of developing heart disease
1. Work out. Regular exercise can help lower both blood pressure and cholesterol levels, two of the prominent risk factors leading to heart disease.
2. Watch your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
3. Eat healthy. Replace fatty, high-cholesterol food with high-fiber diet. Consume more veggies, fruits, grains, fish, beans and low-fat dairy products. For meat-eaters, opt for only lean meats and keep the serving small.
4. Quit smoking. Be sure to avoid second-hand smoke as well.
5. If you drink, be moderate. A glass of wine per day for women and two for men is recommended by some cardiologists.
6. Slim down. Dropping 10 to 15 pounds will drop your risk of developing heart disease.
7. Don't worry. Be happy. Emotional and psychological pressure can contribute to heart disease. Learn to cope with the stress and pain caused by arthritis conditions, see a counselor if necessary, develop a hobby that you really enjoy, hang out with your buddy, or attend a yoga or Tai Chi class.
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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