The Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme in Hypertensive Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

The aim of this study is to investigate the beneficial impacts of the 6-week standardized CR program applied to hypertensive RA patients whose disease activity is under control with regular pharmacological treatment. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1.) standard of care (SOC) treatment or 2.) SOC plus a 6 week CR program.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients diagnosed with RA according to ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria 2. Taking regular treatment for at least 1 month according to ACR/EULAR guidelines 3. Patients diagnosed with HT according to the 2018 European Society of Hypertension and European Society of Cardiology (ESH/ESC) guideline Exclusion Criteria: 1. Refusing to participate in the program 2. Severe mental disorder 3. Neurological disease or deformity in the lower extremity that would prevent the patient from using the treadmill. 4. High-risk unstable angina and all acute cardiac diseases (acute myocardial infarction, acute endocarditis, myocarditis or pericarditis) 5. Uncontrolled HT, Diabetes, cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure 6. Symptomatic severe aortic stenosis 7. Acute pulmonary embolism or pulmonary infarction and severe pulmonary hypertension