Rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease.
An increased risk of cardiovascular events and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been attributed to the inflammatory milieu associated with this chronic autoimmune disease and possibly to the independent effects of RA medications on risk. This review provides an update on the most recent epidemiologic studies documenting this relationship and noteworthy publications examining RA-related factors that could influence the role of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and expression of atherosclerotic disease in patients with RA.
Wasko
Mary Chester M
MC
Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, BST South 704, 3500 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. wasko@pitt.edu
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors