How does ra affect the heart

Statistics show that having RA or other rheumatic diseases can increase the risk of getting die at younger ages. Even with the current modern innovation of treatment, the gap in life expectancy remains. Physicians and experts have long known that RA is linked to the raised risk of heart and cardiovascular diseases.

Unfortunately this link is less understood yet. In the onset of RA, the abnormality of immune system attacks the sensitive membranes surrounding the joint called synovium. The inflammation of synovium can affect other crucial parts of the joint, such as the cartilage and bones. The following are some possible ways of how RA affects the heart and cardiovascular system:.

Arteries play a key role to distribute nutrients and oxygen in the blood throughout the entire body. The inflammation of RA could affect the inner linings of blood vessels such as arteries , causing swelling. This swelling can narrow the blood vessels, affecting the blood flow and leading to high blood pressure hypertension. Any hardening and narrowing artery can be a serious threat for your cardiovascular system. High blood pressure itself can make the swelling worse.

People with RA are 60 percent more likely than the general population to have this condition. Rheumatoid arthritis is, at its core, an inflammatory disorder. Your immune system mistakenly identifies healthy tissue around your joints as an invader and attacks it. That attack causes inflammation and the pain, swelling, and warmth that go along with it. It can circulate throughout your entire body and damage other tissues, including those in your blood vessels and heart.

Inflammation irritates blood vessels throughout your body. It makes plaque more likely to form and also makes plaque less stable. This means that it is more apt to break off, form a clot, and block an artery that leads to your brain causing a stroke or your heart causing a heart attack. It also makes you more prone to blood clots in the deep veins of your legs deep vein thrombosis , which can travel to your lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism.

This is more likely to occur in RA patients with high disease activity than it is among those whose disease is in remission. C-reactive protein CRP , an inflammatory marker that is often elevated in RA patients, is also an important factor.

Heart disease risk factors are health conditions or lifestyle issues that can raise your risk for developing cardiovascular disease. In some cases, RA patients are even more apt to have these risk factors. Smoking, for instance, is more common among RA patients than it is among those without the disease.

Physical activity rates also tend to be lower in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Some RA patients may have too much pain to exercise, but other may not realize that physical activity is recommended and beneficial for their joints as well as their cardiovascular health.

If you have any of the traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease and then you add RA on top of it, your risk can become magnified. Rheumatoid arthritis is typically treated with different medications to control pain and inflammation. Corticosteroids like prednisone are the biggest offenders, so consider their impact on heart health just one more reason to avoid them or use as low a dose as necessary to keep your RA in check.

NSAIDs, which include medications like ibuprofen Advil and naproxen Aleve and prescription versions, are another class of medication that you ought to be cautious about. That said, a meta-analysis that specifically looked at NSAID use in RA patients found that these drugs do not increase the risk of heart disease. We have better options. Other medications like JAK inhibitors [such as tofacitinib Xeljanz , baricitinib Olumiant , and upadacitinib Rinvoq and IL-6 inhibitors [such as tocilizumab Actemra and sarilumb Kevzara ] are a bit different, because they may raise levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, says Dr.

However, they might not be a great fit if you already have high cholesterol. In the CreakyJoints survey, 20 percent of respondents said they were not monitoring their heart health with a doctor, such as getting regular cholesterol or blood pressure tests. This disconnect means that the responsibility can fall on RA patients in a few ways. And when any doctor runs a test, no matter how simple, ask for the results and what they mean.

Bartels says. Read more here about tests to assess and prevent heart disease for rheumatoid arthritis patients. While the link between RA and cardiovascular disease is quite serious, it can absolutely be mitigated by making healthy lifestyle changes, such as incorporating more physical activity into your routine, quitting smoking, losing weight, or eating more nutritious foods. Bartels often refers patients who smoke to the Quit Line , a free resource that offers coaching and nicotine replacement.

Read more here about tips to reduce your heart disease when you have rheumatoid arthritis. If any of your doctors have prescribed a statin cholesterol-lowering medication because they deemed you high risk, be sure to stay on it, Dr.

Bartels adds. Ditto for medication to lower high blood pressure and high blood sugar as diabetes is very closely tied to heart disease. Lastly, keeping tight control of your RA inflammation and disease activity is crucial to protect your joints and your cardiovascular health.

Singh, who notes that the longer you are in remission, the lower your odds of having a cardiovascular event. It found that people whose RA was in remission were 53 percent less likely to experience a serious cardiovascular event during that time. Treat to target means picking a goal, such as low disease activity or remission as measured by blood tests, counts of painful and swollen joints, and patient reports of symptoms and adjusting your RA treatment until you reach the target goal. Avina-Zubieta JA, et al.

Risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies. December Risk of incident cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. September Charles-Schoeman C, et al. Abnormal function of high-density lipoprotein is associated with poor disease control and an altered protein cargo in rheumatoid arthritis. October Association of paraoxonase 1 gene polymorphism and enzyme activity with carotid plaque in rheumatoid arthritis. Also, when blood vessels become inflamed, the nerves don't have an adequate blood supply, which can result in further nerve damage.

The best approach is to reduce the underlying inflammation and use medications that treat the neuropathy itself, according to Dr. Inflammation can also occur in various parts of the eye—a "devastating complication that can cause blindness," Dr. Problems occur in the eye's iris uveitis , the white of the eye scleritis , and the membrane covering the white part episcleritis.

Symptoms include blurred vision, pain, redness, and light sensitivity. Inflammation can also increase the risk of glaucoma and cataracts. Eye drops that contain anti-inflammatory medications are used to treat most rheumatoid arthritis—induced eye conditions. If there is inflammation in the blood vessels going to the skin, it can create rashes, skin ulcers, and nodules or skin bumps, especially on the hands, feet, and elbows.

Matteson says the bumps may come and go, and physicians don't know what causes them. Your doctor can help by treating the underlying RA condition. Surgical removal of the nodules is also an option.

Inflammation in the joints pushes on the nerve that runs from the forearm to the wrist and causes carpal tunnel syndrome. People with carpal tunnel usually feel numbness, tingling, weakness, and eventually sharp pain in the arm.

Treating the underlying inflammation, resting or immobilizing the sore wrist with a splint, and applying cool packs. If the problem is persistent and problematic, consider surgery. Some people with RA get Felty's syndrome, a condition in which the spleen becomes enlarged and the white blood cell count drops, making them more susceptible to infections.

But because RA can be controlled relatively well, Dr. Treatment of the underlying RA condition, and, if necessary, administering injections to increase the white blood cell count. By Tammy Worth Updated March 27, Save Pin More.

Start Slideshow. Credit: Getty Images. Here, 10 different body parts, how they're affected by RA, and what helps the symptoms. What happens Rheumatoid arthritis often starts in the small joints of the hands and feet but can progress to other parts of the body.