How Continuous Patient Engagement Can Mitigate Heart Failure Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Dr. Adam Tabriz
“Founder @ PX6 Medical Systems | Innovating Cyber-Physical Healthcare Solutions | Transforming Patient Care & Management”
A story-driven approach to addressing HFpEF risk through gamification and personalized care
A Patient's Journey: Living with RA and Facing the Unexpected
Marissa, 52, a mother of two, has Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) for nearly a decade. She has never needed any extreme effort in controlling her condition, but recently got tired, and had symptoms of difficulty breathing, and swelling in the legs. She went to see her doctor, who confirmed her worst fear — Marissa was displaying early symptoms of heart failure (with preserved ejection fraction or HFpEF).
Marissa was confused. “I believed that heart failure was the province of clogged arteries or high blood pressure,” she said. Her doctor explained that while those factors do contribute to heart failure, people with RA face a unique risk: chronic inflammation. A form of heart failure, called HFpEF, increasingly prevalent in RA patients, inflammation may have a big part to play in HFpEF, he told her.
The Findings: RA and HFpEF – A Hidden Risk
Despite adjusting for traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, Kawano et al. (2024) recently reported a 79 percent increased risk of heart failure in RA compared to non-RA patients. Notably, HFpEF was the predominant subtype observed, with RA patients experiencing it at nearly twice the rate of non-RA patients (HR 1.99, 95% CI: 1.43 - 2.77). However, both groups did not have a statistically significant difference in rates of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) rates (HR 1.45, 95% CI 0.81 – 2.60).
Findings underscore the importance of cardiovascular providers to care for RA patients. Given that inflammation seems to be central to increasing the risk for HFpEF, traditional CVD risk factor management alone may not be enough.
A New Model for Continuous Engagement
Marissa’s story does not have to end in worsening heart failure … despite the alarming statistics. There are solutions, that combine continuous patient engagement, gamification, and personalized care. Ongoing interaction with patients can slow down the disease progression, and reduce disease advancement by improving treatment adherence, promoting lifestyle changes, and early detection of disease complications.
What if Marissa had access to something that educated her on both RA and heart health and daily motivated Marissa through gamified tasks? Such a platform could offer:
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Enter PX6 Medical Systems, BambuMeta, and Integrity Recovery Connected
PX6 Medical Systems: PX6 Medical Systems specializes in continuous patient engagement and technology-driven solutions combining personalized care pathways. PX6 helps empower patients suffering from RA and other chronic conditions by creating interactive tools that keep patients informed and motivated.
BambuMeta: The wallet card system by BambuMeta represents a unique gamified way to engage with users by combining secure storage of health data with rewards. Every time she completes key health tasks such as a doctor’s appointment or wellness activity, she earns points and rewards. The gamified approach keeps her motivated, and provides her easy access to her critical health data that can then be seamlessly shared with healthcare providers at routine visits or at emergencies.
Integrity Recovery Connected: Integrity Recovery Connected is an organization supporting patients seeking to address chronic conditions and substance use with connected care models specific to their needs. As they have navigated throughout their careers building patient-centric ecosystems, they can also apply their knowledge in complementing RA and HFpEF care to address mental health and behavioral challenges inherent to chronic illness.
Conclusion: Addressing a Growing Crisis with Innovation
Marissa’s case highlights the cardiovascular-related risks of RA that are not well known. While this new research is simply amazing in itself, traditional care typically addresses joint inflammation and health, not touch on heart health, especially with HFpEF. In constant interaction, gamification along with the work of companies like PX6 Medical Systems, BambuMeta, and Integrity Recovery Connected, we can start changing how we care for our patients and provide better outcomes for people like Marissa.
The right tools had given Marissa the chance to stay one step ahead of her condition, fear became confidence, and uncertainty became hope.
References
Kawano Y, Weber BN, Weisenfeld D, et al. Risk of Incident Heart Failure and Heart Failure Subtypes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2024; https://acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.25481
American College of Rheumatology. (2024). Abstract on RA and Heart Failure. Available online at: acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.