Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Heart Disease Likelier to Have Positive Rheumatoid Factor

Rheumatoid arthritis patients who have cardiovascular disease are more likely to test positive for rheumatoid factor in their blood, and those who are positive for rheumatoid factor seem to have immune systems that age faster and also have accelerated risk of cardiovascular disease, Mayo Clinic researchers say. Mayo rheumatology chair Eric Matteson, M.D., describes the study findings.