Rheumatoid Arthritis Increases Risk for Cardiovascular Diseases
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially men, were at significantly higher risk for cardiovascular disease complications and mortality, according to the findings of an observational study published in Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
“With cardiovascular disease risk management still lacking in patients with RA, it is mandatory to identify patients with an increased cardiovascular disease risk as early as possible and treat these patients according to the cardiovascular risk management guidelines to reduce morbidity and mortality,” the investigators explained.
The study group included 125 newly diagnosed patients with RA, between ages 40 and 70 years old, screened between May 2019 and December 2022. Within a year of diagnosis, the patients were screened for cardiovascular risk, which included a physical examination with blood pressure measurement and lipid profile tests. The investigators classified the 10-year cardiovascular risk as low (<1%), intermediate (1–5%), high (5–10%) and very high (>10%).
Of the 46% of the patients found to have hypertension, 57% were men and 43% were women. Among the 78% of the patients with dyslipidemia, 86% were men and 76% were women.
While 50% of the men presented high or very high 10-year cardiovascular mortality risk, only 4% of the women were in the high or very high risk bracket.
“Even with structural screening and informing of the patients and general practitioners, treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in high-risk patients remains insufficient,” the authors noted. “Obviously, a better collaboration between general practitioners and rheumatologists is urgently needed to lower the cardiovascular burden of our patients.
Reference:
Raadsen R, Hansildaar R, van Kuijk AWR, Nurmohamed MT. Male rheumatoid arthritis patients at substantially higher risk for cardiovascular mortality in comparison to women. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published online June 19, 2023. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152233
