Rheumatoid arthritis patients face high risk of GI complications

Individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis and require a prescription to buy Celebrex may have more to worry about than just joint pain. A new study published in the Journal of Rheumatology indicates that these individuals also face a much higher risk of lower gastrointestinal complications.

After studying nearly 30 years' worth of health records from 813 participants, researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis have much higher rates of ulcers, bleeding and perforations. They found that these problems were most common among arthritis patients who smoked or took glucocorticoid medications.

"Our findings emphasize that physicians and patients must be vigilant for these complications, which can occur without causing abdominal pain," said Eric Matteson, who led the study. "Especially stopping smoking and reducing the use of corticosteroids would appear to be important in reducing the risk of major lower GI complications."

He added that other researchers should be looking for ways to reduce the risk of GI problems in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This could lead to the development of new medications that minimize the risk of these complications.