Patients who undergo knee and hip replacement procedures are able to dramatically reduce their risk of major adverse coronary events over a seven-year period, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). When reviewing 153 patients who underwent the surgical procedures, the study showed the joint replacements reduced the relative risk of experiencing a composite event-heart attack, stroke, emergency revascularization and death-by 44 percent. There was an absolute risk reduction of experiencing a composite event of 13.6 percent over seven years. The paper, which updates an original report published in the British Medical Journal (Oct. 2013), supports a growing body of evidence that suggests arthritis is associated with increased mortality secondary to cardiovascular disease, and that this risk is proportional to the degree of disability resulting from arthritis, the researchers report.
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