Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients are at High Risk of Developing Deep Vein Thrombosis

People who are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis are three times more likely to develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and two times more likely to suffer from pulmonary embolism (PE) in the lungs, a new study reveals. The study was conducted by researchers at China Medical University in Taiwan who observed over 30,000 people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They found that people under 50 years of age were nearly six times as likely to develop a DVT and more than three times as likely to develop PE compared to non-RA people over 50 years.

The results also revealed that people with RA were more likely to develop other conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart failure and fractures. “This study is the first we are aware of suggesting that rheumatoid arthritis, which is a disorder which is associated with widespread inflammation, can be a specific risk factor”, Arthritis Research UK medical director, Professor Alan Silman said.

Source-Medindia