Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of motion in the joints between your bones. It occurs most often in the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, jaw, hips, knees, and toes. In some cases it may affect other parts of the body as well as the joints.
RA is an autoimmune disease. This means the body is attacking its own tissues. Doctors don't know the exact cause.
RA appears to increase the risk of heart disease. This makes it especially important for people with RA to quit smoking and control high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
RA can cause an inflammation of the pericardium. The pericardium is the sac that covers the heart. The inflammation, called pericarditis, usually causes no symptoms and needs no treatment. In rare cases, the inflammation may cause fluid to build up in the sac. The fluid may need to be drained so the heart can work normally.
RA may also cause little bumps or nodules in the heart valves. Rarely, these nodules can change the shape of the valve and cause it to leak. Most of the leaks are tiny and do not affect the way the heart works.
Rheumatoid arthritis rarely causes heart symptoms. If you have pericarditis, you may have chest pain and or shortness of breath.
Your healthcare provider will listen to your heart with a stethoscope. An echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound picture of the heart, will show if there is fluid in the sac around your heart.
Doctors don’t know how to keep rheumatoid arthritis from affecting your heart. If you have pericarditis, it can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. Valve problems may be treated with surgery.
