A GROUNDBREAKING study has found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have higher levels of skin sodium compared to individuals without the condition, potentially contributing to increased rates of hypertension observed in RA. This novel finding offers new insights into the role of tissue sodium in autoimmune diseases.
The cross-sectional study included 32 RA patients and 33 control participants. Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure skin sodium levels in the lower leg and conducted 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Disease activity in RA patients was assessed using the Disease Activity Score-28 with CRP (DAS28-CRP).
RA patients exhibited significantly higher skin sodium content compared to controls (14.22 mmol/L vs. 12.41 mmol/L, p=0.005). Furthermore, each 1 mmol/L increase in skin sodium was associated with a 1.05 mmHg rise in 24-hour systolic blood pressure in RA patients, a relationship not observed in the control group. However, skin sodium levels were not linked to RA disease activity as measured by DAS28-CRP.
“These findings suggest that elevated skin sodium may play a role in the development of hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis through mechanisms involving immune cell activation,” the authors explained.
The study highlights a potential new target for understanding and managing hypertension in RA patients. Further research could explore interventions to modulate tissue sodium and its effects on blood pressure in autoimmune conditions.
Aleksandra Zurowska, EMJ
Reference
Ramirez-Becerra C et al. Tissue sodium in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a novel potential driver of hypertension in autoimmunity. Sci Rep. 2024:DOI;10.1038/s41598-024-83873-8.
