The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Menopause Linked with Functional Decline in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Menopause Linked with Functional Decline in Rheumatoid Arthritis

February 14, 2018 • By Scott Baltic

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), menopause is associated with both functional decline and an acceleration of that decline, according to a longitudinal study from the U.S.

You Might Also Like
  • Depression & Anxiety Linked to Poor Rheumatoid Arthritis Outcomes
  • Short Time Between Pregnancies Linked to Osteoporosis
  • Poor Sleep Quality During Menopause Tied to Increased Inflammation

However, several factors involving increased hormonal exposure were associated with less-severe functional decline in women with RA: ever having received hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), ever having been pregnant and longer length of reproductive life.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“The older a woman with RA is when reaching menopause, the less difference in disability is seen. But overall, when reaching menopause, there is a worsening in function, or increased disability,” corresponding author Dr. Kaleb Michaud, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, tells Reuters Health by email.

“Clinicians have a lot to keep track of when treating patients with RA. [Although] there are associations of improved symptoms of RA during pregnancy and worsening during the postpartum period, there hasn’t been as much attention paid to the impact of menopause,” he adds.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Michaud and his colleagues conducted a nationwide observational study of women using data from the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases. Every six months, participants completed a questionnaire, one component of which was the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), which measures functional status.

According to the Jan. 29 online report in Rheumatology, all 8,189 participants had received a diagnosis of RA before menopause. The study excluded women who had undergone hysterectomy, were currently pregnant, had menopause onset before age 40, or were over age 55 and had not reported a menstruation cessation date.1

At enrollment, 2,005 participants were premenopausal, 611 were in the midst of menopause, and 5,573 were postmenopausal.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

HAQ scores showed higher functional status (i.e., less functional decline) in premenopausal than in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, the annual deterioration in HAQ scores was more rapid in postmenopausal women.

“Our results highlight the possible importance of this change in hormonal status on the activity of RA in women,” says Dr. Michaud, who is also co-director of the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases.

Although the study’s findings don’t support treatment changes, including HRT, he says, they do serve as a reminder “of how this natural change can have important impact on RA activity.”

The authors acknowledge that participants in their study had, on average, a higher socioeconomic status than RA patients in the general population, and therefore, may have been more likely to adhere to their medical therapies.

Women have a much higher risk than men of developing RA, and it’s thought that female hormones may play a role in this higher risk, Dr. Scott Zashin, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, tells Reuters Health by email. He was not involved in the current study.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: disability, function, menopause, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Women

You Might Also Like:
  • Depression & Anxiety Linked to Poor Rheumatoid Arthritis Outcomes
  • Short Time Between Pregnancies Linked to Osteoporosis
  • Poor Sleep Quality During Menopause Tied to Increased Inflammation
  • Obesity Associated with Increased Inflammatory Markers in Rheumatoid Arthritis

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.