Rheumatoid arthritis secondary prevention

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Manpreet Kaur, MD [2]

Overview

Effective measures for the secondary prevention of rheumatoid arthritis include calcium and vitamin D supplementation to prevent osteoporosis. To prevent cardiovascular complications and recurrent attacks of RA, effective methods include exercise, smoking cessation, and dietary control.

Secondary Prevention

Effective measures for the secondary prevention of rheumatoid arthritis include:

Bone protection is very important due to the prolonged use of glucocorticoids.
- Supplements of calcium 1000 to 1200 mg/day and vitamin D intake of 600 to 800 international units/day is recommended for patients using prolonged glucocorticoids.^[1]
The following measures are helpful to prevent cardiovascular complications associated with rheumatoid arthritis:^[2]
- Smoking cessation
- Dietary control to prevent hyperlipidemia, hypertension.
- Exercise

References

↑ Buckley L, Guyatt G, Fink HA, Cannon M, Grossman J, Hansen KE, Humphrey MB, Lane NE, Magrey M, Miller M, Morrison L, Rao M, Robinson AB, Saha S, Wolver S, Bannuru RR, Vaysbrot E, Osani M, Turgunbaev M, Miller AS, McAlindon T (August 2017). “2017 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Prevention and Treatment of Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis”. Arthritis Rheumatol. 69 (8): 1521–1537. doi:10.1002/art.40137. PMID 28585373.
↑ Agca R, Heslinga SC, Rollefstad S, Heslinga M, McInnes IB, Peters MJ, Kvien TK, Dougados M, Radner H, Atzeni F, Primdahl J, Södergren A, Wallberg Jonsson S, van Rompay J, Zabalan C, Pedersen TR, Jacobsson L, de Vlam K, Gonzalez-Gay MA, Semb AG, Kitas GD, Smulders YM, Szekanecz Z, Sattar N, Symmons DP, Nurmohamed MT (January 2017). “EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular disease risk management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of inflammatory joint disorders: 2015/2016 update”. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 76 (1): 17–28. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-209775. PMID 27697765.

Overview