Anemia tied to disability in rheumatoid arthritis

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a study suggest that anemia is associated with physical disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Although anemia is the most common blood-related problem in patients with RA, occurring in about 50 percent of these patients, the association between anemia and disability in RA patients has not been well studied, Dr. Chenglong Han, of Centocor Research and Development, Inc., Malvern, Pennsylvania, and colleagues point out.

The researchers examined ties between hemoglobin concentration and physical disability over 22 weeks in a large group of RA patients

They report that at the start of the study, roughly 37 percent of patients had anemia - defined as a hemoglobin level of less than 12 g/dL in women and less than 13 g/dL in men.

There was a significant association between low hemoglobin levels at the start of the study and more severe physical disability. This was the case in both men and women.

Improvements in hemoglobin at week 22 of the study were associated with greater improvements on a health assessment questionnaire, the researchers say.

Although they could not discern the cause of anemia in the patients, "given the independent correlation we observed between hemoglobin and physical disability, effective treatment that can reduce inflammation and improve hemoglobin levels may provide more patient benefit in terms of overall health and physical function and may result in additional economic benefits," the investigators suggest.

SOURCE: Journal of Rheumatology, November 2007.