Abstract

It has been well established that comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis or malignancies have high impact on the outcome of rheumatic conditions. In addition to this rather common complications, more uncommon comorbidities, such as anemia and other hematological disorders, as well as amyloidosis may also occur. There have been much less data on the epidemiology, assessment and management of these conditions. In this review we will discuss that

• – hematological conditions including anemia should be screened in rheumatic patients

• – the possible role of anti-inflammatory and DMARD therapy in the development of anemia should be considered

• – amyloidosis may be a life-threatening complication, therefore, early diagnosis is necessary

• – the management of anemia and amyloidosis is not always easy, however, DMARD treatment of the underlying disease may also be effective to prevent or control these conditions.