Subhi Agrawal
Rheumatoid arthritis causes chronic inflammation, affecting many joints, including those in the hands and feet. It is a disorder where the body’s immune system attacks its tissue, including joints. In severe cases, it attacks internal organs.
A Study Published In RMD
A study published in the open-access journal RMD Open says that a group of researchers have found a connection between particular cognitive deficits and the inflammatory activity in the body caused by rheumatoid arthritis. These include a decline in working memory, inhibition, and focus as well as memory, abstract thought, and visuospatial skills.
Rheumatoid arthritis inflammation is always linked to several systemic effects, including on the brain but it is still vague which particular cognitive domains it impacts most.
Now to find out the actual results, the researchers compared the cognitive function of 70 adults with rheumatoid arthritis that were 80 % with an average age of 56 under the care of one hospital While other 70 volunteers without rheumatoid arthritis, and matched for age, sex, and educational attainment.
All the 140 participants for the test underwent comprehensive neurological and psychological assessment, plus various validated cognitive tests, and assessments of mood and quality of life between June 2022 and June 2023.
Outcome Of The Test
Despite the best treatment, The results of the test concluded that up to 3 out of 4 of the patients (49; 72 percent) had ongoing moderate to high levels of systemic inflammatory activity caused by their disease, as measured by levels of indicative proteins and the degree of joint inflammation. They had their disease for an average of 10.5 years.
Specific cognitive abilities tested were: the ability to process and order visuospatial information; naming; attention; language; abstract thinking; delayed recall; and orientation, plus executive functions of working memory, concentration, and inhibition.
It was found that cognitively impaired patients had more substantial and persistent inflammatory activity than those patients who maintained their cognitive function. And they were more prone to depression and lower physical capacity.
Statement by Researchers
They acknowledge various limitations to the findings and no fruitful conclusion was found they said,
“These results support the hypothesis that [rheumatoid arthritis] is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease that affects multiple systems, including neural tissue.”
“[And the] results underline the importance of earlier and more stringent control of the activity of arthritis and the need for new therapeutic strategies aimed at associated factors, to mitigate the risk of cognitive impairment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” they concluded
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