Study Links Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus to Heart Condition

By David Robinson

 (L-R) UAMS’ Zoran Bursac, Hakan Paydak, Prabhat Hebbar and Abhishek Deshmukh found that rheumatoid arthritis patients are at higher risk for an abnormal heart rhythm.

June 24, 2011 | In a study that is receiving national attention, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers recently found that rheumatoid arthritis patients have a 60 percent increased risk for an abnormal heart rhythm that can cause stroke.

The study was led by Abhishek Deshmukh, M.D., and Prabhat Hebbar, M.D., cardiology fellows at UAMS. The study indicates that inflammation is the common denominator in all three conditions.

“It’s generating a lot of interest because so many atrial fibrillation patients have rheumatoid arthritis and lupus,” Hebbar said. “Inflammation is the trigger in rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation could be the trigger for atrial fibrillation.”

The findings were presented at the May 2011 Heart Rhythm Society meeting in San Francisco. Prior to the meeting, society leaders told Deshmukh the findings were significant and alerted the media. News stories have appeared in U.S. News and World Report, MSN News and Arthritis Today.

The research team also included Will Xiong M.D., a cardiology fellow, Zoran Bursac, Ph.D., M.P.H., a biostatistician, and Hakan Paydak, M.D., a cardiologist and director of UAMS Electrophysiology Lab.

The study involved analyzing a database of more than 400,000 patients who were treated for atrial fibrillation at 1,200 hospitals in the United States. They found that rheumatoid arthritis patients were 1.6 times more likely to develop the heart problem than those without rheumatoid arthritis.

“Atrial fibrillation is becoming an epidemic, so it’s important to get these things controlled,” Deshmukh said.

He said people with rheumatoid arthritis need to be aware of the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, such as palpitations, light-headedness, dizziness, unusual fatigue and shortness of breath.

“People shouldn’t panic, but if they have any of the symptoms they should inform their doctor who should check their pulse and get an EKG,” Deshmukh said.

“An EKG can determine if a person has atrial fibrillation even if they aren’t experiencing symptoms,” Hebbar said. “If we can catch it we might be able to prevent stroke.”

The American Heart Association estimates that about 2.2 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, a disorder in which the heart quivers instead of beating effectively. The heart also is unable to pump all the blood from the atria, two small upper chambers. The pooled blood produces clots that may end up in the brain, causing a stroke. About 15 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.

About 1.3 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation and about 1.5 million people have lupus, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.