good news on my work email feed this morning

[intrikate88]

Drink up me hearties, yo ho. I know I sure feel better about my "less severe symptoms" when I have a drink or three.

(I don't know Rheumatology Morning Wire insists on linking to the Daily Fail all the time. I really must have a word with someone.)

Regular Alcohol Consumption May Protect Against Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Bloomberg News (7/28, Craig) reports, "Regular alcohol consumption provided protection against rheumatoid arthritis and its painful effects." In fact, "non-drinkers were four times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than people who drank alcohol on more than 10 days a month, according to the research published online" July 27 in the journal Rheumatology. "Arthritis patients who drank regularly had less severe symptoms than non-drinkers, the study found."

        BBC News (7/28) reports that researchers at the UK's "University of Sheffield asked two groups of patients with and without the disease to provide details of their drinking habits," comparing "873 patients with" RA "to 1,004 people who did not have it." All patients provided details about how often they had drunk alcohol in the month prior to the beginning of the study.

        The UK's Daily Mail (7/28) quotes study co-author Dr. James Maxwell, a consultant rheumatologist at the Rotherham Foundation NHS Trust, who explained, "Patients who had drunk alcohol most frequently had symptoms that were less severe than those who had never drunk alcohol or only drunk it infrequently." He added, "X-rays showed there was less damage to joints, blood tests showed lower levels of inflammation, and there was less joint pain, swelling, and disability." CNN /Health.com (7/27, Mann), the UK's Telegraph (7/28, Smith), and the UK's Press Association (7/28) also covered the story.

Comments

[ninamazing.livejournal.com]

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. :D ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Great news - at least that's one thing I shouldn't suffer from.

[threerings.livejournal.com]

Oh good. I have an aunt with really really severe RA and I worry about getting it. So I'll just keep drinking, then!

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

HAH perfect icon.

Also, if you're worried about it running in the family, have your doctor do a few blood tests regularly, if you can- erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) to check for inflammation, and check for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA). That way if you do have the beginnings of RA, you may be able to detect it and start treating it before there's permanent damage. Also if you need any rheumatology research, let me know, I can probably find it. :P

[threerings.livejournal.com]

Good to know. I'll talk to my doctor about it.