User login
COPENHAGEN — Patients who develop rheumatoid arthritis undergo an unexplained drop in their serum cholesterol level during the years immediately preceding their diagnosis, based on a study of more than 500 patients.
Dr. Elena Myasoedova said at the annual European Congress of Rheumatolog that serum levels of LDL cholesterol fell before—as well as following—RA diagnosis, whereas serum levels of HDL cholesterol rose both before and after RA diagnosis.
This overall pattern of lipid changes resulting in a less-atherogenic profile in RA patients is a surprise, as it's been clearly documented in results from several studies that RA increases the risk for both atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
The study involved 577 residents of Olmsted County, Minn., who were at least 18 years old and were diagnosed with RA during 1988-2008.
During the 5 years before diagnosis, their serum levels of both LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol fell significantly, by an average of 24 mg/dL for LDL cholesterol and an average of 23 mg/dL for total cholesterol. During the same period, HDL cholesterol levels rose by 3 mg/dL, said Dr. Myasoedova, who did her research while she was a Fulbright scholar at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
In the 5 years after RA diagnosis, their total and LDL cholesterol levels underwent a smaller decline, with LDL cholesterol levels dropping by an average of another 8 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol increased by an additional 5 mg/dL after the diagnosis.
To better assess the relationship of these changes to RA, the researchers ran a similar analysis on 540 control residents of Olmsted County who were matched to the RA patients based on their sex, age during the calendar year of RA diagnosis in the cases, and length of their medical history in Olmsted County and with the Mayo Clinic. The average age of the RA patients and controls was 57 years.
The comparison showed that people who were never diagnosed with RA also had a drop in their total and LDL cholesterol levels over the same period, likely because of an increased prevalence of treatment for hypercholesterolemia in the United States during 1988-2008, Dr. Myasoedova said. The extent of the cholesterol reduction was substantially steeper among those who eventually developed RA.
Treatment with lipid-lowering drugs of any kind, treatment specifically with a statin, and body mass index did not seem to be factors, as these parameters were similar in both RA patients and controls.
The study was funded in part with a grant from Roche Laboratories, Dr. Myasoedova said.
COPENHAGEN — Patients who develop rheumatoid arthritis undergo an unexplained drop in their serum cholesterol level during the years immediately preceding their diagnosis, based on a study of more than 500 patients.
Dr. Elena Myasoedova said at the annual European Congress of Rheumatolog that serum levels of LDL cholesterol fell before—as well as following—RA diagnosis, whereas serum levels of HDL cholesterol rose both before and after RA diagnosis.
This overall pattern of lipid changes resulting in a less-atherogenic profile in RA patients is a surprise, as it's been clearly documented in results from several studies that RA increases the risk for both atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
The study involved 577 residents of Olmsted County, Minn., who were at least 18 years old and were diagnosed with RA during 1988-2008.
During the 5 years before diagnosis, their serum levels of both LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol fell significantly, by an average of 24 mg/dL for LDL cholesterol and an average of 23 mg/dL for total cholesterol. During the same period, HDL cholesterol levels rose by 3 mg/dL, said Dr. Myasoedova, who did her research while she was a Fulbright scholar at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
In the 5 years after RA diagnosis, their total and LDL cholesterol levels underwent a smaller decline, with LDL cholesterol levels dropping by an average of another 8 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol increased by an additional 5 mg/dL after the diagnosis.
To better assess the relationship of these changes to RA, the researchers ran a similar analysis on 540 control residents of Olmsted County who were matched to the RA patients based on their sex, age during the calendar year of RA diagnosis in the cases, and length of their medical history in Olmsted County and with the Mayo Clinic. The average age of the RA patients and controls was 57 years.
The comparison showed that people who were never diagnosed with RA also had a drop in their total and LDL cholesterol levels over the same period, likely because of an increased prevalence of treatment for hypercholesterolemia in the United States during 1988-2008, Dr. Myasoedova said. The extent of the cholesterol reduction was substantially steeper among those who eventually developed RA.
Treatment with lipid-lowering drugs of any kind, treatment specifically with a statin, and body mass index did not seem to be factors, as these parameters were similar in both RA patients and controls.
The study was funded in part with a grant from Roche Laboratories, Dr. Myasoedova said.
COPENHAGEN — Patients who develop rheumatoid arthritis undergo an unexplained drop in their serum cholesterol level during the years immediately preceding their diagnosis, based on a study of more than 500 patients.
Dr. Elena Myasoedova said at the annual European Congress of Rheumatolog that serum levels of LDL cholesterol fell before—as well as following—RA diagnosis, whereas serum levels of HDL cholesterol rose both before and after RA diagnosis.
This overall pattern of lipid changes resulting in a less-atherogenic profile in RA patients is a surprise, as it's been clearly documented in results from several studies that RA increases the risk for both atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
The study involved 577 residents of Olmsted County, Minn., who were at least 18 years old and were diagnosed with RA during 1988-2008.
During the 5 years before diagnosis, their serum levels of both LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol fell significantly, by an average of 24 mg/dL for LDL cholesterol and an average of 23 mg/dL for total cholesterol. During the same period, HDL cholesterol levels rose by 3 mg/dL, said Dr. Myasoedova, who did her research while she was a Fulbright scholar at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
In the 5 years after RA diagnosis, their total and LDL cholesterol levels underwent a smaller decline, with LDL cholesterol levels dropping by an average of another 8 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol increased by an additional 5 mg/dL after the diagnosis.
To better assess the relationship of these changes to RA, the researchers ran a similar analysis on 540 control residents of Olmsted County who were matched to the RA patients based on their sex, age during the calendar year of RA diagnosis in the cases, and length of their medical history in Olmsted County and with the Mayo Clinic. The average age of the RA patients and controls was 57 years.
The comparison showed that people who were never diagnosed with RA also had a drop in their total and LDL cholesterol levels over the same period, likely because of an increased prevalence of treatment for hypercholesterolemia in the United States during 1988-2008, Dr. Myasoedova said. The extent of the cholesterol reduction was substantially steeper among those who eventually developed RA.
Treatment with lipid-lowering drugs of any kind, treatment specifically with a statin, and body mass index did not seem to be factors, as these parameters were similar in both RA patients and controls.
The study was funded in part with a grant from Roche Laboratories, Dr. Myasoedova said.