How does rheumatoid arthritis affect conditions like depression, and vice versa?

As of 2021, about 17.9 million people globally were living with rheumatoid arthritis — an autoimmune type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the joints. Past studies show that rheumatoid arthritis can negatively impact a person’s health by increasing their risk for irreversible joint damage , osteoporosis , heart disease , eye issues , sleeping problems , obesity , and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression .

Now, two new papers — a perspective paper published in the journal Nature Reviews Rheumatology , and a commentary in The Lancet Rheumatology — have concluded that some of these health issues, such as depression , may not only be complications of rheumatoid arthritis, but may also help maintain the disease especially in people with difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis. In these two papers, the authors reflect on how certain health problems, such depression, smoking, obesity, and sleep disorders, may impact rheumatoid arthritis and its symptoms.