In a new study, researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease, Type 1 diabetes or blood clots may be at increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
They also found that people who have rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk of developing heart disease, blood clots and sleep apnea.
The research was led by Mayo Clinic scientists.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect not only the joints but also can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the lungs, heart and blood vessels.
Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of joints, causing a painful swelling that can result in bone erosion and joint deformity.
Comorbidities, or other chronic diseases or conditions, have been linked to poorer outcomes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, including worsened physical disability, functional decline, poorer quality of life and increased mortality.
In the study, the team leverages the Mayo Clinic Biobank, which contains data on 74 comorbidities and the age of onset for these comorbidities in 3,276 patients.
They identified 821 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were diagnosed at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Florida between January 2009 and February 2018.
They found that 11 comorbidities were linked to rheumatoid arthritis, including epilepsy and pulmonary fibrosis.
They also found that autoimmune diseases and epilepsy may predispose to the development of rheumatoid arthritis, while heart disease and other conditions may develop as a result of rheumatoid arthritis.
For example, blood clots occurred more commonly in rheumatoid arthritis cases before diagnosis, suggesting that systemic inflammation may start before the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.
The association with Type 1 diabetes prior to the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis also was strong, highlighting the importance of heightened suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis in patients with autoimmune diseases, and vice versa.
The findings have important implications for understanding how rheumatoid arthritis develops. It also could lead to earlier detection and screening initiatives for other diseases and conditions.
The team says that people with certain conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease, should be carefully monitored for rheumatoid arthritis.
In addition, people who have rheumatoid arthritis, and their health care providers, should have heightened suspicion and a low threshold to screen for cardiovascular disease, blood clots, and sleep apnea.
One author of the study is Vanessa Kronzer, M.D., a clinician investigator fellow in rheumatology at Mayo Clinic.
The study is published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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