Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were associated with higher risk of developing
rotator cuff disease (RCD).
The treatment for
rotator cuff diseases (RCD) symptoms and for controlling the
inflammatory process is crucial to ensure high-quality care for the
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, explained in a study issued in
'Journal of Clinical Medicine'.
RA, the principal cause of joint
and periarticular inflammation. The relationship between RA and
rotator cuff (RC) had already been reported but, there are rare
epidemiological studies on RA and RC tendons. So, Wei-Te Wang et al.
examined the RCD risk and analyzed the effects of methotrexate and
steroids on the risk of RCD among RA patients.
The investigators
conducted a retrospective cohort study with longitudinal follow-up
for 6 years. The study population included the patients diagnosed
with RA between 2004-2008. The control group included the non-RA
individuals matched with age and sex. Moreover, the effects of
methotrexate and steroids use on RCD risk was also evaluated. Other
comorbidities and concomitant treatments were assessed through
propensity score and Hazard ratios (HRs) and adjusted HRs (aHRs) were
calculated.
In this study, 4521 RA patients and 22605 matched
controls were included. The calculated RCD incidence was found to be
145 per 100,000 person-years in RA patients and 91 per 100,000
person-years in control cohorts. The crude HR for RCD was 1.62 and
aHR was 1.56 in the RA cohort. The methotrexate and steroid nonusers
exhibited an aHR (vs Controls) of 1.61 and 1.69, respectively. But,
aHR was not found to be notably high among methotrexate and steroid
users when compared to the controls. The RA patients exhibited a
higher risk for RCD as opposed to the non-RA control cohort. Use of
steroids or methotrexate reduces the risk of RCD occurrence
significantly among RA patients. As per the study investigators,
further studies are needed to clarify the correlation between the
severity of RA and risk of RC tendon lesion to enhance the quality of
care for RA patients.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Were Associated with a Risk of Rotator Cuff Diseases
Wei-Te Wang et al.
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