title: Where the immune response meets the vessel wall.
abstract: Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), including rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis, are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, independent of the established cardiovascular risk factors. The chronic inflammatory state, a hallmark of IMIDs, is considered to be a driving force for accelerated atherogenesis. Consequently, aggressive control of disease activity has been suggested to be instrumental for cardiovascular risk reduction. Specific guidelines for cardiovascular risk reduction in patients with IMIDs, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, are lacking, largely due to the absence of randomised clinical trial data. In this review, we focus on pathophysiology and observational evidence of cardiovascular risk in different prototypes of IMIDs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. r.j.bisoendial@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bisoendial
authors.forename: E S G
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Stroes
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Tak
mesh_terms: D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000150:complications; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000150:complications