Women with rheumatoid arthritis whose close relationships are marked by mutuality -- the reciprocal sharing of thoughts and feelings -- have lower levels of inflammation, a prospective study found.
After controlling for the effects of factors such as disease flares and the use of anti-inflammatory and disease-modifying drugs, mutuality accounted for 9% of the difference in levels of an inflammatory marker at six months, and an additional 12.5% at 12 months, according to Shelley Kasle, PhD, of the University of Arizona, Tucson.
In contrast, levels of the marker (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, or ESR) had no effect on subsequent mutuality, suggesting that while mutuality influences inflammation, the reverse is not the case, the investigators reported in the Jan. 15 Arthritis Care & Research.
Social relationships exert benefits on health through both biological and behavioral pathways. The impact of social relationships may be particularly great in patients with rheumatoid arthritis because they have been shown to be psychologically and physiologically reactive to interpersonal stressors.
Previous studies have shown that heightened interpersonal stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis led to increases in clinical disease activity and cellular inflammation.
Specific aspects of close social relationships, such as marital status and quality, are also known to influence rheumatoid arthritis outcomes, with single patients becoming disabled more quickly than those who are married or partnered.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/18125thanks Lynn.