Rheumatoid arthritis and heart failure risk

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis appear to be at increased risk for developing heart failure. Treatment with certain rheumatoid drugs, such as infliximab and etanercept, however, seems to reduce the elevated risk.Although rheumatoid arthritis has been linked to heart disease in general, it was unclear if a specific association existed with heart failure. Animal studies have supported a possible link, whereas trials in humans have not. To investigate, researchers form the Arthritis Research Center Foundation in Wichita, Kansas, analysed data from 13,171 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 2568 patients with osteoarthritis. Heart failure was identified in 3.9 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with just 2.3 percent of osteoarthritis patients, the researchers noted. However, in rheumatoid arthritis patients, without traditional risk factors for heart failure, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, the rate was just 0.4 percent. Treatment with rheumatoid drugs called TNF (Tumour necrosis factor) blockers seemed to reduce the risk of heart failure. Still, the authors note, this benefit was only seen in rheumatoid arthritis patients with pre-existing heart disease.

The results, thus suggest that rheumatoid arthritis increases the risk of heart failure, which may be ameliorated by anti-TNF therapies.

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