Arthritis pushes up risk of chronic lung condition
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SUFFERERS of rheumatoid arthritis are at greater risk of deadly lung diseases, according to new research.
The study suggests that the estimated 750,000 Irish people with the condition are almost 50% more likely to need hospital care for wheezing and breathlessness.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term illness where the immune system causes the body to attack itself, causing painful, swollen and stiff joints.
The extra problems come from the inflammation it causes in the joints, which is thought to lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This has now been added to heart disease and diabetes as problems linked to the arthritis.
COPD is an umbrella term for diseases ranging from emphysema to acute bronchitis which can cause wheezing and breathlessness so bad that daily activities become impossible.
The study – conducted at Canada’s University of British Columbia – saw almost 25,000 patients monitored over a decade. It found that rheumatoid arthritis sufferers overall have a 47% greater risk of the lung condition, while women with rheumatoid arthritis see the threat rise by 61%.
Lead author Dr Diane Lacaille said: ‘These findings are novel because it has only recently been recognised that inflammation plays a role in the development of COPD. Clinicians treating people with rheumatoid arthritis are not aware that their patients are at increased risk of COPD.’
Olivia Belle, director of external affairs at arthritis charity Arthritis Research UK, said: ‘As this research shows, rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t just affect joints, but can cause lung disease too. This emphasises the importance of getting the inflammation under control as soon as possible.’
The study suggests those with arthritis should be vigilant in looking for the first signs of COPD. Early symptoms of the condition, which is suffered by around 110,000 Irish people, include frequent chest infections and chesty coughs, plus waking up in the night feeling breathless.
The researchers followed 24,625 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 25,396 people free of the condition to record how many were taken to hospital with COPD.
Smoking raises the risk of both arthritis and lung disease but the results were adjusted to account for this, it was reported in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. It was once thought COPD was caused by inflammation in the lungs specifically but experts now think inflammation elsewhere in the body could also be a trigger.
They advised giving anti-inflammatory drugs to people with arthritis as quickly as possible.
Dr Lacaille added: ‘Our results emphasise the need to control inflammation and to aim for complete eradication of inflammation through effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.’
Rheumatoid arthritis is less common than osteoarthritis, which involves a breakdown of joint cartilage, often due to wear and tear.