This is a study that has been done (and is still ongoing) that may correlate a link between young women, under 50, having rheumatoid arthritis and their bones being more fragile leading to more broken bones. It is similar to having osteoporosis, which usually manifests itself in women of older age. However, now younger women begin to have symptoms of osteoporosis at age 25; many of whom suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. This study is basically comparing 2,300 people-men and women-and have seen that women under the age of 50 with rheumatoid arthritis suffer from more broken bones than women of the same age without rheumatoid arthritis. Men saw risks of fractures as well; however they saw the risks until they were at an older age. The CDC estimates 1.5 million people suffer from rheumatoid arthritis in the US and there are more women than men with it. Billions and billions of dollars are spent each year from hospitalizations of osteoporotic fractures. Other factors mentioned that may be a cause of this are that glucocorticoid meds for rheumatoid arthritis increase bone deterioration and also sedentary life from the pain rheumatoid arthritis causes does not allow fro the necessary 'pull' on the bone by the muscles which is essential for bone mass. Many more studies are necessary to answer these questions but for now...women, drink up your milk!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/04/rheumatoid-arthritis-risk-of-broken-bones_n_1076914.html
Here is the link to the study.
Thanks for the link Carlos, it's interesting I think considering we can confuse the two diseases for one another, separate them, but at the same time find the interlinking between the two.
ReplyDeleteI wish they had mentioned where the majority of the fractures resided...for example, if the fractures were concentrated in the hips or legs where most weight-bearing occurred or if they were in unrelated areas which could indicate a more general sense of the arthritis progression. I like how the article related the possible loss of muscle mass to the bone degradation; the two systems are so interrelated I think effects of muscle atrophy or development should also looked at in tandem.
In another article published online today they stated that "Dr Amin recommended taking measures to guard against falls, including installing grab bars in the bathroom, low-skid mats in the bathtub..." which could suggest that the majority of fractures are occurring in more weight-bearing areas such as the hips and legs. Most of these precautions are usually taken when people get older because they are at a higher risk of falling and these same people fracture their hips, legs and wrists because they do fall.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hcplive.com/articles/Young-Women-With-RA-Have-Increased-Risk-of-Broken-Bones
A paper studying falls in rheumatoid arthritis patients found that many patients who fell and had breaks due to those fall had reported impaired mobility, balance, and stability in their lower limbs. Some of these mobility problems were associated with pain from the RA or the current medications the patients were taking either for the RA or antidepressants.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1755283/pdf/v064p01602.pdf
This sounds like and interesting study, I haven't read it yet but I was wondering if they mentioned anything about hormones have anything to do with it? I know that estrogen can sometimes have a protective role and high levels of hormones such as parathyroid hormone and low levels of calcitonin are correlated to decreased bone mass.
ReplyDeleteI would be very cautious in interpreting this study. First of all, it is a retrospective cohort study, and is thus prone to selection and recall bias. Second, it has not yet been peer reviewed. Third, the lead investigator makes no mention of controlling for systemic corticosteroid use, concomitant presence and severity of osteoporosis, nor of treatment or prophylaxis for osteoporosis. What is needed is a prospective cohort study, where patients are enrolled, baseline data is collected, and appropriate preventive and therapeutic measures are initiated. Patients can then be stratified by baseline risk factors, adherence to prescribed therapies, and other factors that cannot be controlled for in a retrospective study.
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