But new research may provide hope. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the body's own immune cells attack joint tissue. To control the inflammation of arthritis, patients often take steroids. But the steroids prevent the body from absorbing calcium and alter the ratio of bone-making cells. The result is a condition called osteoporosis, a reduction in bone density.
Weaker bones are more prone to breaking easily.
But researchers recently determined that women taking steroids who also took calcium and vitamin D supplements had an increase in bone density. Not only does this offer hope to arthritis patients, but it also may help patients with other conditions that require steroids for treatment, like asthma, organ transplants or multiple sclerosis. This research is still in the early stages, so it's not yet known exactly which patients would benefit from calcium supplements. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say that even women who aren't taking steroids may benefit from calcium supplements. Most women don't get the calcium they need every day to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis.