Cardiovascular Incidence, Mortality Among Patients With RA Reviewed

A population-based cohort study involving Olmsted County, Minnesota, adults aged 18 years and older with incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) found that major cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, including stroke and myocardial infarction, has declined in recent decades among patients with RA.

Researchers collected cumulative data on the trends of CVD events and mortality of patients with RA after CVD events from 905 patients with RA and 904 without RA, matched by age, sex, and others variables. Patients with RA were diagnosed according to the 1927 American College of Rheumatology criteria during the period 1980 to 2009. All patients were followed until death, after relocating residences, or until Dec. 31, 2016. Patients who had a history of CVD events prior to their RA diagnosis or index date were excluded.

Cumulative incidence of any CVD event was lower among patients with incident RA during the 2000s than in the 1980s. Patients with RA in 2000s showed no additional evidence of CVD over non-RA subjects. Researchers also determined risk of death associated with a post-CVD event was slightly lower after the 1980s in patients with RA.

“Incidence of major CVD events in RA has declined in recent decades. The gap in CVD occurrence between RA patients and the general population is closing,” the authors wrote. “Mortality after CVD events in RA may be improving.”

--Angelique Platas

Reference: Myasoedova E, III Davis JM, Roger VL et al. Improved incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients with incident rheumatoid arthritis in the 2000s: a population-based cohort study. Published February 2021 DOI: doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.200842