The Hidden Risks of Arthritis

Your arthritis may raise your risk of developing other health conditions, but you can take steps to prevent them. The first is being aware.

- Jennifer Davis

Lisa Emrich of Falls Church, Va., a 47-year-old writer and music teacher, understands what it feels like to be diagnosed with a chronic condition. It’s happened to her twice. In 2005 she learned she has multiple sclerosis, and two years later she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). When her rheumatologist later figured out she had high cholesterol, too, instead of feeling overwhelmed by a third diagnosis, she says she simply felt relief.

“RA can contribute to higher cardiovascular risk, so it’s important to have that controlled and treated to reduce your risk. It is very reassuring that my rheumatologist is great at looking out for these kinds of comorbidities that could complicate my RA,” Emrich says. “It makes me feel secure knowing she is keeping an eye out for them.”

You’ve likely heard the word “comorbidity” around your rheumatologist’s office. But what exactly does it mean? 

WHAT IS A COMORBIDITY?

Comorbidities are two or more conditions that occur at the same time. Sometimes the primary condition causes the secondary condition or lays the groundwork for it, like cardiovascular disease (CVD) in RA patients and uveitis (an eye condition) in psoriatic arthritis patients, both of which are thought to be caused by the chronic inflammation at the root of each condition.

Other times there is a less direct association. Osteoarthritis (OA), for example, causes pain, which can make someone less likely to get enough physical activity. That, in turn, can lead that person to become overweight and develop metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions, including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar) or diabetes.