Association between cardiovascular disease and conventional DMARDs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

This study investigates potential links between cardiovascular disease and the use of traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medications (DMARDs) in RA patients. 246 individuals with RA (82 with CVD and 164 without CVD) were investigated using a case-control strategy. Methotrexate (MTX) and sulfasalazine were used to classify the dataset (SSZ). "MTX alone", OR 0.18 (95% CI 0.09-0.74); "MTX with SSZ ever", OR 0.22 (95% CI 0.12-0.53). After further rectification, the treatment's risk reductions for the existence of rheumatoid factor remained considerable. Only the "MTX or SSZ" group had a substantial decrease in CVD risk after controlling for diabetes, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol levels. Rheumatoid factor substantially elevated the risk of cardiovascular disease, with odds ratios of 2.47 (95% confidence interval: 1.21 to 5.80). MTX and SSZ, the latter to a lesser degree, were related with a considerably lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to individuals with RA who had never taken either medication or combination. This research indicates that the use of DMARDs, namely MTX, resulted in a strong decrease of joint inflammation. It may help prevent the development of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases.