People who develop rheumatoid arthritis face a massively increased risk of heart attack by the time they are diagnosed, researchers warn today.
A study from Sweden found that newly diagnosed patients faced a 40 per cent increased risk.
People with the condition are known to face a heightened risk of heart disease – but experts said the findings suggested the problem needs to be taken seriously from the start.
A major trial is now under way to see if the cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, can help prevent the problem.
More than 7,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were compared with 37,000 others over a ten year period.
Most patients were diagnosed within six months of symptoms appearing. Within a year of diagnosis, the risk of heart attack had increased to 60 per cent compared to people of the same age without the condition.
Researcher Marie Holmqvist, from the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, said: "Our findings emphasise the importance of monitoring a patient’s heart risk from the moment they are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, as the risk rises rapidly in the first few years.
"It is also very clear that more research is needed to determine the mechanisms that link these two health conditions."
June Davison, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Worryingly, this study shows that the increased risk is there right from the initial diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis rather than when the disease has been there for years.
"Alongside helping the patient manage their arthritis we should also be looking to manage the risk of other associated conditions such as heart disease.
"We’re currently funding a study to see if giving statins to people with rheumatoid arthritis lowers helps reduce the risk of heart problems."
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