The importance of homocysteine in the development of cardiovascular complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not only leads to disability due to joint changes, but also significantly shortens the life expectancy of patients, mainly due to more frequent occurrence of heart attacks and strokes. Accelerated atherosclerosis in these patients is caused, among other factors, by high hom...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reumatologia 2020, Vol.58 (5), p.282-288
Main Authors: Głuszek, Jerzy, Wierzowiecka, Małgorzata, Niklas, Karolina, Niklas, Arkadiusz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
folic acid
homocysteine
Review Paper
rheumatoid arthritis
stroke
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Summary:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not only leads to disability due to joint changes, but also significantly shortens the life expectancy of patients, mainly due to more frequent occurrence of heart attacks and strokes. Accelerated atherosclerosis in these patients is caused, among other factors, by high homocysteine (HCY) concentration in blood. Numerous studies have shown that treatment with vitamin B significantly reduces the concentration of HCY in blood, but does not reduce the risk of heart diseases. Recent studies have shown, however, that folic acid (FA) administration reduces the risk of stroke by 10–20%. Due to the fact that in patients with RA strokes are more frequent than in the general population and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) is often found, determination of HCY concentration in blood is advisable, and in persons with HHCY it is recommended to use FA in primary and secondary stroke prevention.
ISSN:0034-6233
2084-9834
DOI:10.5114/reum.2020.99732