Rheumatoid arthritis said to double heart risk

LONDON (Reuters) - People with rheumatoid arthritis have double the risk of suffering heart attacks or strokes and should be considered for treatment with statins and blood pressure drugs, rheumatology experts said on Friday.

A report by a medical task force to the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Paris concluded the risk was comparable to that associated with type 2 diabetes, which is already an established cardiovascular risk factor.

Dr Michael Nurmohamed , leader of the task force, said the inflammatory processes underlying rheumatoid arthritis appeared to increase patients' risk of serious heart problems.

"There is mounting evidence that inflammation may be the missing link," he said in a statement.

As a result, giving patients cholesterol-lowering statin medicines and anti-hypertensives to reduce blood pressure may yield greater benefits than in the general population, he added.

Statins and blood pressure medicines are already among the world's best-selling drugs. They are big profit generators for companies like Pfizer, which markets the blockbuster statin Lipitor, and Novartis, which sells blood pressure pill Diovan.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by David Cowell)