If they’re high, lower them with diet, exercise, and medications if necessary.įind alternate pain-relieving methods - Though you may rely on NSAIDs and steroids to relieve pain and bring down swelling, these drugs can increase your heart risks. Watch your numbers - Get your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels checked regularly. Ask your doctor to recommend an intervention such as nicotine replacement, medication or counseling to help you quit. Quit smoking - Getting off cigarettes can be hard, but it’s not impossible. And avoid saturated and trans fats, which contribute to weight gain and heart disease risk.Ĭontrol stress - Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation to calm you down. Eat more fatty fish like salmon and tuna, which are high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. There’s also evidence that exercise can fight inflammation.Įat right - Add extra fruits and vegetables to your diet. Stay active - Doing aerobic and strengthening exercises on most days of the week can protect your blood vessels, help you lose weight and reduce your CVD risk. When it comes to lifestyle interventions, the same advice applies, whether or not you have RA. There’s evidence that controlling RA inflammation also reduces the risks of heart attack, stroke and other CVD events. Consult the American College of Rheumatology’s latest Guideline for the Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment. One of the best ways to protect your heart is by taking the disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) your rheumatologist prescribes - whether that’s methotrexate, a biologic or another medication. Although low LDL is good for the heart, low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides contribute to cardiovascular disease. Experts call it the “lipid paradox.” People with RA have high levels of triglycerides, low levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL or “bad” cholesterol), and low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL or “good” cholesterol). Smokers with RA have a 50% higher risk for cardiovascular events than do nonsmokers with RA.Ībnormal lipids - RA has an unusual effect on lipids or fats in the blood. Not only has this habit been linked to more aggressive joint destruction, but smoking also accelerates blood vessel damage and contributes to artery narrowing. Smoking - People with RA are more likely to smoke than those without the disease. Fat cells release inflammatory substances that contribute to body-wide inflammation and CVD risk. Obesity is linked to CVD risk itself, as well as to cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Obesity - Sore joints make it hard to exercise, and a lack of physical activity can lead to weight gain. This collection of symptoms, which includes obesity, high triglycerides and cholesterol, high blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar doubles the risk for CVD. Metabolic syndrome - Nearly 40% of people with RA have metabolic syndrome, compared to less than 20% of people overall. People with RA also have less-elastic arteries that can narrow, which lets less blood through and increases blood pressure. High blood pressure - A number of factors increase blood pressure in people with RA, including a lack of exercise and drugs used to treat the disease (such as NSAIDs and steroids). The other reason people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more likely to develop heart disease is shared risk factors like these: Inflammation causes plaque build-up in the arteries, which slowly narrows blood vessels and blocks blood flow, and is the main cause of heart attack and stroke. Inflammatory substances called cytokines fuel joint destruction in RA and blood vessel damage in cardivascular disease (CVD). Two factors come together to increase your risk: chronic inflammation and shared risk factors.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |