Question
My mother had a chest pain all night and into the next day untill she finally decided to ring the doctor at 12.00 miday.  She was taken into hospital where she underwent various tests for possible heart attack.  They did not find any evidence and have sent her home with pain killers.  She is 79 and suffers with both kinds of artheritis and is very stiff and does no excersis. Her weight is average and her apetite is good.

They advised her that it was her RA that has caused this pain.  Is she in line for a heart attack and how can I support her get the right medication?

Yours

Sarah Fotheringham

Answer
Sarah,

I am sorry to hear about your mother.

You ask one of the most difficult questions there is about Rheumatic disease. The question is "is this pain in my chest a heart attack."

It is true the RA patients have more heart related problems than the typical person and they die of heart attacks at a much higher rate.

The good news is if your mother would have had a heart attack they the doctors would have been able to diagnose it. RA can cause chest pains. The pains can be very similar to heart pains or can be heart related pains. RA can effect the lining of the heart or lungs cause inflammation here that feels like a heart attack. Neither of these are dangerous but can be quite uncomfortable.

Is your mother is line for a heart attack? There is no way to know for sure except to say that the majority of RA patients do not have heart attacks. They only have a higher rate the the average population.

It is advisable for your mom to see a cardiologist and follow up on her ER visit. Just because she did not have a heart attack does not mean that there are no heart related problems. AT 79 the majority of people RA or not have some level of heart problems. Identifying these  and treating them can lesson the risk of a major cardiovascular event.

It is also advisable to talk to her rheumatologist about the event. It is always good to know the exact cause of this type of pain if possible. This allows for accurate treatment of the symptoms. There are new treatments out that can help RA patients lesson the risk of a heart attack. Only your doctors and most likely a rheumatologist who knows your mothers history and the level of Rheumatic disease can decide what type of treatment is best.

I wish you and your mom the best.

Rusty
http://arthritis-symptom.com/Rheumatoid-arthritis-symptoms/index.htm

Here is an article about some new research on the subject.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228080549.htm