News
People with rheumatoid arthritis twice as likely to have COPD, Israeli study finds
IrishHealth.com
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are twice as likely to also have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the results of a new study indicate.
Researchers in Israel looked at 15,766 patients with the arthritic condition and 15,340 people without it. They found that the prevalence of COPD was significantly higher in RA patients than in healthy controls.
COPD causes the lungs’ airways to become blocked, making it difficult for air to move in and out. The disease includes two major respiratory disorders – chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It is characterised by shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and increased phlegm.
An estimated 24 million Americans have COPD, the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and often painful disease affecting the joints, causing them to become inflamed.
