Is the prevalence of arterial hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis associated with disease?

Abstract

Objective. In this study, we compare the prevalence of HT in RA and OA patients, exposed to high-and low-grade chronic inflammation, respectively , to assess the possible association between chronic inflammation and HT. Methods.A total of consecutive 627 RA and 352 OA patients were enrolled in this multicentric study. HT was defined as a systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥140 and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg or current use of any antihypertensive drug. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥25, and patients ≥65 years old were considered elderly.Results. The prevalence of HT was higher in the OA group than in the RA group [73.3% (95%CI 68.4, 77.7) and 59.5% (95%CI 55.6, 68.4) P<0.001 respectively]. When the results were adjusted for age and BMI the HT prevalence was similar in both groups [RA 59%(95%CI 55.1, 63.8) OA 60%(95%CI 58.4, 65.0)]. In both groups, the prevalence of HT was higher in the elderly and those who were overweight than in the younger patients and those with a BMI <25 .Overweight (BMI ≥25) and age ≥65 were independent predictors of HT in multivariate logistic regression model, which show no association of HT and the disease (RA or OA). Conclusion.The results indicated a robust association of age and BMI with HT prevalence in both RA and OA. The difference in HT prevalence between RA and OA is rather due to age and BMI then to features of the disease, putting into question specific association of HT with RA.

Hypertension and its Correlates in the Oldest Old Population Aged 80 Years and Above in Urban South India

“…Self-reported arthritis was an independent risk factor for hypertension in this study. As shown in other studies, arthritis is associated with hypertension since both diseases have common risk factors including aging [ 56 ]. Research also indicates metabolic syndrome and aging-related phenotypes for osteoarthritis, which explains the link between all three conditions in our study [ 57 , 58 ].…”

Relationship between metabolic syndrome and osteoarthritis: The Fasa Osteoarthritis Study

“…In a cross-sectional study in 2013, Morovic-Vergles et al [19], found that among 352 patients with OA, 60% had hypertension after adjusting for age and BMI.…”

Association between hypertension and risk of knee osteoarthritis

“…Some studies suggest that there may be several shared risk factors implicated in the plausible mechanisms of the relationship between hypertension and knee OA. [ 41 , 42 ] One possible explanation for the relationship between hypertension and knee OA is shared traditional risk factors, such as aging, obesity, and chronic inflammation. [ 2 , 9 , 43 , 44 ] Moreover, some studies have proven that multiple genes are involved in both hypertension and knee OA.…”