An unfavorable ratio of such blood fats as total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides could indicate an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis as much as 10 years later, according to Dutch researchers.
Reporting in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, the researchers said they analyzed 1,078 deep frozen blood samples from 79 people who had given blood between 1984 and 1999 and subsequently went on to develop rheumatoid arthritis, and compared the fat content to samples from 1,071 randomly selected blood donors.
The researchers looked at levels of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (good) cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoproteins A and B, and lipoprotein (a).
They found that people who subsequently developed rheumatoid arthritis had a more unfavorable balance of circulating blood fats than those who did not develop the disease, with total cholesterol on average 4 percent higher, HDL levels 9 percent lower, triglycerides 17 percent higher and apolipoprotein B 6 percent higher.
The researchers said the same people also had an increased risk of ischaemic heart disease, in which the artery walls are thickened and hardened by fat deposits, possibly helping explain the link between a higher rate of cardiovascular disease among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
