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Have a question about RA and Heart Disease.

Posted , 5 users are following.

michelle1958
michelle1958

Good Morning...Was not sure excatly sure if I should have just added this to my last post or start a new one so I started a new one because it is a different topic.

I am wondering if anyone has had issues with their heart since be diagnosed with RA.  I have been in the ER twice in the last couple of weeks with pains above my ribs and below my breast..I guess maybe I might had said something about that in my last post.  Anyway finally some one did a catscan at the hospital and sent it to the Cardiologist I was going to see via a request from my Rumatologist.   So he saw a little plaque on the arteries of my heart and decided because of the RA he would do a echocardiogram of the heart and then a stress test.  Had the echo yesterday and will have the stress test on Thursday,  Have to have a chemical one because I could never do a treadmil with my cane.  So I am wondering if anyone has had issues like this with their heart.  I am still coughing and wheezing like crazy too...but lungs are clear.  RA is kicking my butt from head to toe.  I sure hope I do not have to live the rest of my life like this.  Would love some info on this heart thing.  Thanks so nice to come here for answers.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • EileenH
    EileenH michelle1958

    Posted

    I googled "ra and cardiac disease" to get a few articles. Unfortunately I can't giveyou the direct links here but the Arthritis Foundation has a good page under living-with-arthritis/comorbidities/heart-disease/ra-and-your-heart

    where they say clinical evidence shows there is a direct link between ra and heart disease. 

    The good news though is that because the link is known your doctors will be far more aware - as your rheumy obviously is as he sent you to a cardiologist. 

    I had an echocardiogram done with the chemical stress test at the same time last summer. I did a treadmill test first that showed a small abnormality in the ECG and so I was sent for the echo to find out if it was just because I'm a woman or whether there was anything else - I'm pleased to say it was just because I'm a woman! It was an interesting experience. 

    I don't have RA - I have another autoimmune form of arthritis/vasculitis. I also have developed atrial fibrillation which the cardiologist thinks is due to the autoimmune bit. Now it is all investigated and managed I feel far better than I did.

    Hope they get yours sorted too.

    • michelle1958
      michelle1958 EileenH

      Posted

      Thank you EileenH for your reply.  I have also done soom googling myself.  What I found and not sure if it is at all correct but it said that people with RA are more then likely to have some sort of heart disease in the first year of having your RA and if your RA is active which it is. I guess what bothers me the most is the coughing and wheezing that has been going on for a couple of months now.  The doctors all say my lungs are clear and of course when they did the catscan is when they found the plaque.  I don't know but body is just going crazy since I was diagnosed with the RA and I don't know what is real and what might be in my head. I will have a few ansers after my stress test on Thursday, The Cardiologist said he would see me after my stress,  I see my Rheumy next week so guess we will go from there.  Anyway thank you again for the information.
    • EileenH
      EileenH michelle1958

      Posted

      Yes - the links for medical papers I found all said much the same - the rate of heart disease is up to double in RA patients what it is in people without RA and the highest risk is during the first year after diagnosis. I suspect it is because of the unmanaged inflammation in the body which has usually been going on for some time prior to diagnosis - once the RA is identified and treated the inflammation levels fall dramatically and then as time goes on without any heart trouble having developed the risk falls again because there isn't the inflammation present to cause it.

      Funny you have the cough and wheeze though - you'd associate that with lung problems more wouldn't you. They used to talk about a "heart cough" but that is a sign of fluid build up in the lungs when the heart isn't working properly - they know that isn't the case for your lungs.

      Looking frward to hearing what they decide it is. Good luck for Thursday.

  • Rowbirdie
    Rowbirdie michelle1958

    Posted

    I was wondering about the coughing and wheezing too. Do you have asthma or has that only happened recently with the RA .?  
    • michelle1958
      michelle1958 Rowbirdie

      Posted

      No asthma  and tge cough has only happened since I was diagnosed with RA.  It has been going on now for a couple of months...
    • michelle1958
      michelle1958 EileenH

      Posted

      I guess it could be except that my primary, my Rumatologist, have both looked at me and have seen nothing...then I am having the tests with the Cardiologist...so far no one can figure out what it is.
  • tony38011
    tony38011 michelle1958

    Posted

    I had a mild heart attack approx 12 years ago not long after being diagnosed with RA. I think Eileen is right in saying that unmanaged inflammation is the cause as my cardiologist reckoned that my RA was inactive at the time so could not have caused it.  

    I had an angiogram at the time which showed no nasties, hence the docs could give no reason as to why I had the heart attack. That said, I'm convinced it was due to the amount of anti-inflammatories I was previously taking, including the infamous Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory taken off the market as it was proved to cause serious cardiac problems. Thankfully, I've had no trouble since.

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