Risk factors for prevalent and incident hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis: data from the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort
New research led by the Department's former MSc student Brook Hadwen, Chair Dr.Saverio Stranges, Cross-Appointed, Dr. Lillian Barra, in collaboration with Dr.Janet E. Pope, Dr.Susan Bartlett, Dr. Gilles Boire, Dr.Louis Bessette, Dr.Carol A. Hitchon, Dr. Glen Hazlewood, Dr. Edward C. Keystone, Dr. Orit Schieir, Dr. Carter Thorne, Dr. Diane Tin, Dr. Marie-France Valois, Dr. Vivian Bykerk has revealed important findings about hypertension (high blood pressure) in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study, conducted with the CATCH Investigators, aimed to understand how common hypertension is and what factors contribute to its development in this specific group of patients.
The study included 2052 patients with early RA, mostly women with an average age of 55 years. Here's what they found:
- At the beginning of the study, 26% of patients already had hypertension.
- Over the next 5 years, an additional 24% of patients developed hypertension.
They identified several factors that increase the risk of hypertension in these patients:
- Older age was a significant factor.
- Being overweight or obese increased the risk, especially in women.
- High cholesterol levels (hyperlipidemia) were linked to a higher chance of developing hypertension.
- Patients with diabetes were also at greater risk.
- Excessive alcohol consumption was associated with hypertension in both men and women.
Interestingly, disease activity and specific RA treatments did not seem to affect the risk of developing hypertension as much as these traditional risk factors did.
The study suggests that regular monitoring of blood pressure and making lifestyle changes such as managing weight, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and moderating alcohol intake are crucial for reducing the risk of hypertension in RA patients.
This research emphasizes the need for healthcare providers to integrate cardiovascular risk management into the overall care of RA patients early on to improve their health outcomes.
Original article:
Hadwen B, Stranges S, Pope JE, Bartlett S, Boire G, Bessette L, Hitchon CA, Hazlewood G, Keystone EC, Schieir O, Thorne C, Tin D, Valois MF, Bykerk V, Barra L, CATCH Investigators. Risk factors for prevalent and incident hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis: data from the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2024 May 22;8(2):rkae066
