Arthritis Ireland Arthritis Ireland

Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers are more likely to develop potentially fatal blood clots than the rest of the population, new research reveals.

A team of researchers from the renowned Mayo Clinic in the US discovered that patients with the common autoimmune condition are at an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (venous thromboembolism), as well as being more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease.

However, the study, which was published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, found that those with the the disease are no more likely to develop the brain disorder, cerebrovascular disease, or pulmonary arterial events.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory condition where the body appears to attack itself at the joints. It affects around 40,000 people in Ireland.

Dr Sherine Gabriel and colleagues compared rates of venous thromboembolism, cerebrovascular disease and pulmonary peripheral arterial disease in populations of healthy subjects and patients with RA.

Records were collected from Olmstead County, Minnesota between the years of 1980 and 2007 and a total of 813 patients with RA were included, the majority of whom (68 per cent) were women.

Discounting other risk factors such as age and sex, patients from the RA group were more likely to suffer venous thromboembolism than those without the condition, with an incidence rate of 6.7 per cent as opposed to 2.8 per cent.

The team concluded: "Our findings indicate that the incidence of venous thromboembolism is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to non-rheumatoid arthritis subjects.

"The incidence of cerebrovascular events and peripheral vascular disease events is similar in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to non-rheumatoid arthritis subjects. Among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the incidence of non-cardiac vascular disease has remained stable in recent decades."

A spokesperson for Arthritis Ireland said: "One of the realities of arthritis is that often people living with the condition are affected by other disorders, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and - as this study reveals - blood clotting. However, people with arthritis can significantly reduce their risk of developing co-morbidities by exercising regularly, eating healthily, limiting alcohol consumption and not smoking."