According to the researchers, the people with rheumatoid arthritis have higher chances of being affected by heart diseases. It is important for the health care professionals to find out which patient groups are at the highest risk. The latest studies show that the following groups have the highest chances: women with early menopause and those infected by common viruses, such as cytomegalovirus.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked to Post-Menopausal Heart Disease

Problems don’t come alone

One of the studies in the field has shown that the more severe the arthritis is, the higher the chances are for a patient to develop heart problems as well. The chances increase in the moment when the arthritis strikes and this is why prevention is so important in this field.

Higher Risks

The most important thing that the specialists learned from this study is that the burden put on the joints by arthritis in only one year greatly increases the chances of cardiovascular diseases. However, if the condition is treated, the body of the patient becomes stronger and the chances of cardiovascular diseases decrease.

Cytomegalovirus

In another study the specialists addressed the problem of cytomegalovirus. This is a common bug that the majority of people get sooner or later. The specialists have found that there might be a connection between the immunity to this infection and the development of cardiovascular diseases.

Immunologic Responses

The specialists believe that by learning about the immunologic reactions and the immune profile to this infection may be a strong indicator regarding heart diseases. In order to find out about the chances of a given patient of having cardiovascular diseases it might be important to study the biomarkers of the patients.

Early Menopause

Another one of the studies has found that the women with early menopause also seem to have more chances of having a heart disease. This refers to the women who go through menopause before the age of 45. About 66% of all rheumatoid arthritis patients are female and the researchers believe that the condition may have a connection with the hormone levels.

Number of Children

Besides menopause, it looks like the number of children that women have also has a word to say regarding the chances of being affected by heart disease. The studies show that the more children women have, the higher their chances of heart disease, regardless of the moment when they go through menopause. Naturally if menopause happens at an early stage, the chances increase even more.