Extra-Articular Manifestations in Rheumatoid Arthritis - Predictors of Osteoporosis

In rheumatoid arthritis the extra-articular manifestations present a marker of disease severity and are accompanied by increased morbidity and mortality The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between extra-articular manifestations and osteoporosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study included 130 menopausal women diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Bone mineral density was measured at lumbar spine and femoral by means of dual X-ray osteodensitometry. The obtained variables were analysed by bivariate analysis and logistic regression. The mean age was 62.77±7.51 years old. The medium duration of rheumatoid arthritis was 7.91±7.85 years, the frequency of extra-articular manifestations was 25.38%. The frequency of osteoporosis was 44.62%. The frequency of osteoporosis is statistically significantly higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have extra-articular manifestations. The presence of extra-articular manifestations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis should draw attention to the need to determine bone mineral density.