Early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is essential for heart health

People with more severe rheumatoid arthritis could be more likely to have heart problems – and it’s down to the treatment of the disease in the first year, say scientists from the Mayo Clinic.

“One thing that we learned in particular in this study is that the high disease burden on the joints in the first year of disease already is a very strong predictor of cardiovascular disease subsequently, and that seems to be mitigated as time goes on if the disease burden can be reduced too,” says Dr Eric Matteson, chair of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic.

Early detection and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is thus essential.

The study was presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

The Mayo Clinic is a non-profit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life.

For more information on the study visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2013-rst/7742.html.