Re: RESEARCH - RA a threat to the heart; greaeter risk of heart attack, and more complications later

[Guest guest]

and group;

Wow I have congestive heart failure and enlarged heart.

gentle hugs

Clora

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>

> Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart

> Greater risk of heart attack, and more complications later, studies

find

>

>

> Posted October 27, 2008

> By Reinberg

> HealthDay Reporter

>

>

> MONDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- People newly diagnosed with

> rheumatoid arthritis face twice the risk of a heart attack, and

those

> who do suffer a heart attack tend to have more heart-related

> complications, new research says.

>

> It seems that a condition called diastolic dysfunction, which causes

> the lower chambers of the heart to become stiff, is the culprit.

> Diastolic dysfunction impairs the ability of the ventricles to fill

> with blood and can lead to heart failure, the researchers said.

>

> These are the conclusions of three reports presented at the American

> College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual scientific meeting, which runs

> from Oct. 24-29, in San Francisco.

>

> " Rheumatoid arthritis patients not only have more heart attacks and

> heart failures, but they also have worse prognosis once they have a

> cardiovascular event, " said Dr. Hilal Maradit Kremers, lead

researcher

> on one of the studies and an epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic in

> Rochester, Minn.

>

> For the study, Kremers' team followed 38 patients with rheumatoid

> arthritis who had suffered a heart attack. Then they compared these

> patients with patients without rheumatoid arthritis who also had a

> heart attack.

>

>

> ******************************************************************

> Read the rest of the article here:

>

>

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/10/27/rheumato

id-arthritis-a-threat-to-the-heart.html

>

>

>

> Not an MD

>