Rheumatoid Arthritis = Higher Risk for Broken Bones

Young Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis
At More Risk for Broken Bones, Study Finds

Women under 50 with rheumatoid arthritis are at greater risk of breaking bones than women without the condition, according to a Mayo Clinic study being presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual scientific meeting in Chicago. Men with rheumatoid arthritis also are in more danger of fractures, but the risk surfaces when they are older, researchers found.

 

Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to chronic, debilitating inflammation of the joints and other parts of the body. People over 50 with the condition are more likely to break a bone from a fall or sometimes even mild stress such as coughing. Until now, little has been known about the fracture risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients under 50.

 

Researchers studied two groups of 1,155 adults each, all from the same community: one set with a new diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, the other without the condition. Based on gender and birth year, each person was paired with someone from the other group, and the medical records of
each duo were examined over time for new fractures unrelated to cancer
or severe trauma. In women and men with rheumatoid arthritis, new fractures were more likely than in their counterparts, regardless of their
age when they were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

 

Women under 50 when diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were more likely than their counterparts without the condition to have their first new fracture even before age 50. While men with rheumatoid arthritis were
also more vulnerable to fractures, that danger didn't grow until they got older.

 

"Understanding what contributes to the risk for fractures for all with rheumatoid arthritis, including young women, would help us better

prevent them," explained researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minn. Women under 50 with rheumatoid arthritis need to know that
even though they are young, they need to take greater care to prevent fractures, they empasize.

 

Story Source: Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic (2011, November 6). Young women with rheumatoid arthritis
at more risk for broken bones, study finds.

 

This article is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact your doctor or healthcare professional for medical and nutritional consultation.