Early Detection: "Could Save Lives and Money"

Medical researchers reported this past Thursday that the risk of silent heart disease in patients is directly correlated with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis are three times more likely to have been hospitalized for an acute heart attack and five times more likely to have an unrecognized heart attack. Factors such as elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, and alcohol abuse were not contributing factors in a study of six hundred patients. Researchers suspect that rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease have a common origin. To prevent full-blown heart attacks when taking medication for rheumatoid arthritis, should tests be done routinely to check heart health? I believe that if routine checks were made for heart health when medication was prescribed for arthritis, savings could be made for the patient and the insurance companies.