When you’re diagnosed with RA, it’s important to think about bone health, no matter your age. If you make changes to your lifestyle and choose medications with your bones in mind, it can help lower your risk of osteoporosis.
Optimize Your RA Treatment to Reduce Inflammation
“Reducing inflammation is the crux of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis for many reasons,” says Dr. Bose. Not only does inflammation contribute to joint pain, stiffness, and damage, it can promote bone loss and other problems. “Systematic inflammation can lead to serious consequences, including heart issues and stroke,” says Bose. Reducing joint inflammation as quickly and effectively as possible can reduce all these risks, she adds.
Talk to Your Doctor About Alternatives to Steroids if You Take Them Regularly
Sometimes you may have to take corticosteroids for short periods of time. “We use steroids at the outset when someone presents with active disease to get it under better control faster when we’re starting them on disease-modifying drugs,” says Bose.
Treatments like DMARDs can take several months to be effective, so steroids provide relief until they kick in. Steroids may also be used during an RA flare. But it’s important to limit your exposure to steroids as much as possible to reduce your risk of bone loss. Taking more than 5 mg a day for more than three months increases the risk. And risk is cumulative, meaning that taking steroids multiple times, even for shorter stretches, adds up.
Talk to your doctor about using corticosteroid injections rather than taking steroids orally. This may limit the effect on bones.
Talk to Your Doctor About Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements
Bones need a healthy dose of calcium and vitamin D to continue to rebuild and maintain their density. Ask your doctor to recommend that daily dose of calcium that’s right for you.
It’s not always easy to get enough calcium through diet so you may need to take a calcium supplement.
Recommended doses of vitamin D vary and levels can be checked with simple blood work, so ask your healthcare provider what dose you need. A vitamin D supplement may help.
Get Regular Weight-Bearing and Muscle-Building Exercise
Weight bearing exercise puts stress on your bones, which triggers bone-building. Exercise is also important for keeping joints flexible. But with joint pain and fatigue, it can be the last thing you want to do.
Walking is a low-impact activity that’s easy on the joints. Yoga can also be weight bearing, and involves stretching, which can help improve the range of motion in your joints.
Consider Bisphosphonates if You’re at High Risk
Read the full article here
