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Hi, my name is Ekal Sud reporting for RheumNow.
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Suppose you have your patient with rheumatoid arthritis returning for followup after starting DMARD therapy and you've noticed significant improvement, reduced tender joints, reduced swollen
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joints, and improved morning stiffness, but your patient's still complaining of ongoing fatigue, poor sleep, and aching pains in the muscle and joints. Have you
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considered menopause?
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Abstract 1849 seeks to explore this by using a large database of patients seen at Mayo of women ages 40 to 65.
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They quantified and compared the severity of menopause in women with RA versus without rheumatoid arthritis.
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And menopause severity was scored using the menopause rating scale, which is a validated tool that encompasses different domains including somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms.
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And among 9,400 participants, about 2% had rheumatoid arthritis.
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Rheumatoid arthritis patients were older on average and obesity was more common.
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Hormone replacement therapy and SSRI and SNRI use were similar in both groups.
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And among women with RA, the severity of symptoms in menopause were higher compared to women without RA.
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And additionally, severity of hot flashes were higher among women with rheumatoid arthritis versus those without.
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And these associations were significant.
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And so what can we take from this? Menopause is prevalent in women with RA and it is likely an underrecognized burden in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
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But it's important to consider that this is a cross-sectional study.
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We need longer-term follow-up to better evaluate the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and the severity of menopause symptoms.
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It's also possible that many symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can overlap with menopause as well.
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And so when it comes back to the clinic, it's important to consider: is the disease under control and what's driving these ongoing symptoms?
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And by thinking of other potential causes such as menopause, this can open the conversation about other tools we can use to better serve our patients.
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My name is Ekal Sud reporting from RheumNow. Thank you.
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