A recent study highlights that people with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a high chance of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension.
The findings were published in Rheumatology: Advances in Practice, based on research by Brook Hadwen and colleagues from the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
The study analyzed data from over 2,000 patients in the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort. At the start of the study, about 26% of the participants had hypertension. This included 23% of the women and 34% of the men in the group.
The researchers found that high blood pressure was more likely in those who were older, had diabetes, or had high cholesterol levels. In women, being overweight or consuming high amounts of alcohol also increased the likelihood of hypertension.
Over a follow-up period of about five years, nearly one-fourth of the participants who did not initially have high blood pressure developed it.
The study showed that certain baseline factors, like older age, being overweight, high alcohol consumption, and having high cholesterol, were linked to a higher risk of developing hypertension.
Interestingly, the study found no significant connection between RA-specific disease factors or treatments and the risk of high blood pressure.
The study’s authors emphasized the importance of weight loss and lifestyle changes, such as adopting a healthier diet, engaging in regular exercise, and limiting alcohol intake, to lower the risk of hypertension.
They highlighted that these modifications can play a key role in preventing heart disease in patients with early RA.
It’s worth noting that some of the authors had connections to the pharmaceutical industry, as disclosed in the study.
Nonetheless, the findings point to a critical need for managing risk factors like weight and cholesterol in people with early RA to reduce the likelihood of hypertension and related heart issues.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
The research findings can be found in Rheumatology Advances in Practice.
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