Rheumatoid Arthritis May Raise Heart Failure Risk

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis appear to be at increased risk for developing heart failure, new research suggests. However, treatment with certain rheumatoid drugs, such as infliximab and etanercept, seems to reduce the elevated risk.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis appear to be at increased risk for developing heart failure, new research suggests. However, treatment with certain rheumatoid drugs, such as infliximab and etanercept, 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, Dr. Frederick Wolfe and Kaleb Michaud, from the Arthritis Research Center Foundation in Wichita, Kansas, analyzed data from 13,171 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 2568 patients with osteoarthritis. The findings are published in The American Journal of Medicine. Heart failure was identified in 3.9 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with just 2.3 percent of osteoarthritis patients, the researchers note. However, in rheumatoid arthritis, those 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 blockers seemed to reduce the risk of heart failure. Still, the authors note that this benefit was only seen in rheumatoid arthritis patients with preexisting heart disease. “Our results suggest that rheumatoid arthritis increases the risk of heart failure, which may be ameliorated by anti-TNF therapies,” the investigators state. (Source: American Journal of Medicine: Reuters Health News: March 2004.)