Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at approximately 1.5-fold risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population, a phenomenon resulting from combined effects of traditional CVD risk factors and systemic inflammation. Rheumatoid synovitis and unstable a...

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Main Authors: Anne Mirjam Kerola, Silvia Rollefstad, Anne Grete Semb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Radcliffe Medical Media 2021-05-01
Series:European Cardiology Review
Online Access:https://www.ecrjournal.com/articleindex/ecr.2020.44
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author Anne Mirjam Kerola
Silvia Rollefstad
Anne Grete Semb
author_facet Anne Mirjam Kerola
Silvia Rollefstad
Anne Grete Semb
author_sort Anne Mirjam Kerola
collection DOAJ
description Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at approximately 1.5-fold risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population, a phenomenon resulting from combined effects of traditional CVD risk factors and systemic inflammation. Rheumatoid synovitis and unstable atherosclerotic plaques share common inflammatory mechanisms, such as expression of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6. RA patients are undertreated in terms of CVD prevention, and structured CVD prevention programmes are warranted. Alongside management of traditional risk factors, suppressing systemic inflammation with antirheumatic medication is fundamental for the reduction of CVD risk among this high-risk patient group. Many antirheumatic drugs, especially methotrexate, TNF-α-inhibitors and IL-6-inhibitors are associated with reduced risk of CVD in observational studies among RA patients, but randomised controlled trials with hard CVD endpoints are lacking. In patients without rheumatic disease, anti-inflammatory therapies targeting nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 inflammasome and the IL-1/IL-6 pathway arise as potential therapies after an atherosclerotic CVD event.
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spelling doaj-art-e08fa4ce7c8a4d51b25860323e4e554a2025-08-20T02:39:16ZengRadcliffe Medical MediaEuropean Cardiology Review1758-37561758-37642021-05-011610.15420/ecr.2020.44Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic TreatmentAnne Mirjam Kerola0Silvia Rollefstad1Anne Grete Semb2Preventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Division of Rheumatology and Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Rheumatology, Päijät-Häme Joint Authority for Health and Wellbeing, Lahti, FinlandPreventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Division of Rheumatology and Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, NorwayPreventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Division of Rheumatology and Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, NorwayPatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at approximately 1.5-fold risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population, a phenomenon resulting from combined effects of traditional CVD risk factors and systemic inflammation. Rheumatoid synovitis and unstable atherosclerotic plaques share common inflammatory mechanisms, such as expression of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6. RA patients are undertreated in terms of CVD prevention, and structured CVD prevention programmes are warranted. Alongside management of traditional risk factors, suppressing systemic inflammation with antirheumatic medication is fundamental for the reduction of CVD risk among this high-risk patient group. Many antirheumatic drugs, especially methotrexate, TNF-α-inhibitors and IL-6-inhibitors are associated with reduced risk of CVD in observational studies among RA patients, but randomised controlled trials with hard CVD endpoints are lacking. In patients without rheumatic disease, anti-inflammatory therapies targeting nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 inflammasome and the IL-1/IL-6 pathway arise as potential therapies after an atherosclerotic CVD event.https://www.ecrjournal.com/articleindex/ecr.2020.44
spellingShingle Anne Mirjam Kerola
Silvia Rollefstad
Anne Grete Semb
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment
European Cardiology Review
title Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment
title_full Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment
title_fullStr Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment
title_full_unstemmed Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment
title_short Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment
title_sort atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis impact of inflammation and antirheumatic treatment
url https://www.ecrjournal.com/articleindex/ecr.2020.44
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