Why Is The Thyroid Gland So Important In Rheumatoi | Arthritis Information

Share
 

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory form of arthritis, affecting more than 2 million Americans. It is a chronic, systemic, progressive autoimmune process for which there is no cure, currently. However, there are medications available that can put this disease into remission.


That is why it is so important that thorough laboratory testing be done. Many of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis such as generalized aches and pains in the joints and muscles, fatigue, listlessness, and low grade fever can be due to other conditions.

Anemia, which is frequent in patients with active RA, is a common cause of fatigue.

For instance, it is not uncommon for patients to have an overlap of their rheumatoid arthritis with systemic lupus erythematosus. This condition is referred to as "rupus."

Also, inflammatory muscle diseases such as polymyositis can often present with joint inflammation along with weakness.

Another organ system dysfunction that is often neglected or overlooked is thyroid disease.

There is an increased incidence of autoimmune thyroid disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. When thyroid inflammation occurs, the end result can be hypothyroidism- an underactive thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is responsible for many metabolic functions in the body. When it fails to work properly, symptoms such as cold intolerance, fatigue, lethargy, weight gain, muscle and joint aches and pains can often occur.

Hypothyroidism is significantly more common in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than in women in general due to the increased association of these two conditions.

A recent study has demonstrated that this coexistence further aggravates the known increased risk for cardiovascular disease occurring in rheumatoid arthritis patients. (Ann Rheum Dis 2008;67:229-232)

Dutch researchers at the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam studied 358 RA patients, 236 of whom were women. All were taking part in an ongoing cardiovascular study.

Clinical hypothyroidism was seen in none of the men and 16 of the studied women (6.8%) compared to 2.7% in the general Dutch population. Six of the women had subclinical- meaning unapparent on physical examination- hypothyroidism as did 4 of the men.

The women with clinical hypothyroidism also had significantly more cardiovascular disease than did RA patients with normal thyroid function (37.5% versus 13.0%).

After adjustment for other factors, the odds ratio- the increased risk- was 4.6. In other words, women with RA and hypothyroidism were 4.6 times more likely to have significant cardiovascular disease than women with RA who didn't have hypothyroidism.

The authors concluded that "clinical hypothyroidism accelerates the already enhanced cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis and that physicians should consider screening for thyroid disorders in rheumatoid arthritis patients."

Author's note: In our clinic, we routinely screen arthritis patients for coexistent thyroid disease. We have found that all too often, unsuspected hypo- or hyperthyroidism is present and once this condition is treated, many of the other symptoms improve as well.
About Author Nathan Wei :

Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a rheumatologist and Director of the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Thanks for posting this Lev.  It is troubling, but very informative.yup i thought it was very informative too
and interesting
 
altho anything is interesting to me at the moment
ive been so bored this afternoon... bored and in pain
as usual lol
 
but anyways that was an awesome post
thnx for sharing it with us pplz
Very informative read Lev.  We tend to attribute all of our symptoms to RA and, of course, that is not always the case! 
 
I must admit, I didn't know wheather to laugh or cry at the RA/Lupus combo... RUPUS! 
  I was tested and was in the high end of normal for Hperthyroid. The test is called TSI antibody test.  I look like a classic hashimotos case, with thyroid inflammation, but my tsh has been steady, although I went on a course of levoxyl to get the inflammation out.  But of course I tested negative for all the antibodies, twice.  Just goes along with being RF negative so that this dx can take years, just like RA.  Jk I hope not...KatieG and wantto... ME TOO!
Ugh.
 
I know something is in arrears here... working against me.... and I, too, have been borderline....
I've not bothered to have testing recently.. because I thought. Why bother!?!?
I'm telling you- nothing is ever cut and dry for me. There are always questions. Even this stupid gum bump that I am having oral surgery for- they can't figure out if it's an infection or not so lets cut her gums open and look. All I can say is there better be an infection!
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com