Statins Might Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis

Taking statins — cholesterol-lowering drugs — may reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, says a new study. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that causes pain, stiffness, redness and swelling in joints. Researchers studied more than 200,000 people in Israel who were prescribed a statin drug. People who did not take the drug regularly were 51% more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than people who took the drug most often. The study was published September 7 in the journal PLoS Medicine. Reuters wrote about it the same day.