What is it about?
Both Metabolic Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis share inflammation as a common cause. Therefore, patients with the latter condition must be screened for the former. This article reviews this association, gives valuable insight into its management, and discusses the latest research in the field.
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Why is it important?
When doctors see patients with Rheumatoid arthritis early in its course they should proactively screen for the Metabolic syndrome. Doing so will reduce the burden of additional suffering due to heart attacks and strokes in these patients. This will not only reduce suffering but will improve quality of life.
Perspectives
When we think about Rheumatoid Arthritis as a condition, we imagine swollen and painful joints. We now know thanks to research in this field that it is not just the joints that are affected but the whole body. People with this condition suffer from an excess of heart attacks and strokes. Fortunately, good control of the primary disease and the components of the Metabolic Syndrome like high blood pressure, truncal obesity (fat accumulation in the central areas of the body), and high blood fats (cholesterol) can go a long way in ameliorating the sufferings in these patients. By writing this article I am confident that I will be able to educate many on this association.
Dr Venkatraman Rajkumar
Banting Clinic for Diabetes and Endocrinology Chennai India
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Metabolic Syndrome and its Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review, EMJ Rheumatology, January 2022, European Medical Group,
DOI: 10.33590/emjrheumatol/22-00125.
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