Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. Current knowledge supports that chronic inflammation represents a crucial risk factor without prior development of atherosclerosis. Thus, the epidemiological findings of patients with RA have demonstrated an expressive increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In addition, these patients present a higher prevalence of coronary risk factors and, when associated with poor prognostic factors, increase the risk of ischemic heart disease.
Highlights
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown etiology
Traditional cardiovascular risk factors (TCVRF) that include increased age, male sex, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, dyslipidemia, systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and a positive family history are not enough to explain the excess of heart disease [4]
A large multicenter international study concluded that the risk attributable to RA combined with TCVRF was 70% for cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. Current knowledge supports that chronic systemic inflammation represents a crucial risk factor in the early development of atherosclerosis, predisposing to ischemic heart disease [2]. The epidemiological findings of patients with RA have demonstrated an expressive increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality [3]. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors (TCVRF) that include increased age, male sex, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, dyslipidemia, systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and a positive family history are not enough to explain the excess of heart disease [4]. A large multicenter international study concluded that the risk attributable to RA combined with TCVRF was 70% for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The risk remained the same for RA and decreased to 49% for cardiovascular risk factors [5]
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