Arthritis Sufferers ‘More Likely To Die Of Heart Disease’

A new study has revealed that people who suffer from arthritis are more likely to die of heart disease than those who don’t.

The Daily Mail shared the findings of the research from Lund University in Sweden, which looked at 469,000 people living in Skane, Sweden, who were aged between 45 and 84 when the study started in 2003.

Those who were included in the research suffered from different kinds of arthritis, including knee arthritis (16,000 patients), hip arthritis (9,000 patients) and wrist arthritis (4,000 patients), as well as people who didn’t develop the condition.

Lead author professor Martin Englund told the news provider that the study found that “the groups were not different in terms of most causes of death, but we saw the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease was higher for those with an osteoarthritis diagnosis.”

The study didn’t look at the causes, although professor Englund and his colleagues have speculated that because osteoarthritis causes pain, this leads to people having more sedentary lifestyles. That, in turn, can lead to weight gain, which is known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Living with arthritis can be a challenge because it affects your mobility. It’s important to make adaptations to your home to make it easier for you to continue to do as much as possible for yourself.

Installing easy access baths is one alteration you may want to consider in your property if you or a loved one suffers from any form of arthritis.

Earlier this year, charity Versus Arthritis revealed that nearly half (43 per cent) of people with persistent pain as a result of their arthritis struggle to carry out basic tasks in their homes for more than two years before they discover they’re eligible for help from their local authority.