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. 2008 Aug;58(8):2268-74.
doi: 10.1002/art.23650.

High ten-year risk of cardiovascular disease in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis patients: a population-based cohort study

Hilal Maradit Kremers  1 , Cynthia S Crowson, Terry M Therneau, Veronique L Roger, Sherine E Gabriel
Affiliations

High ten-year risk of cardiovascular disease in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis patients: a population-based cohort study

Hilal Maradit Kremers et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the 10-year absolute risk of cardiovascular (CV) events in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and the potential contribution of CV risk factors to absolute risk assessment.

Methods: A population-based incidence cohort of RA patients (defined according to the American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria) was assembled and compared with an age- and sex-matched non-RA cohort. Data were collected on CV risk factors and CV events. Cox regression models were used to estimate the 10-year risk of a combined CV end point, adjusting for CV risk factors. Subjects were classified into 5 risk categories based on their 10-year absolute risk.

Results: The absolute CV risk in RA patients was similar to that in non-RA subjects who were 5-10 years older. The absolute risk varied substantially according to the presence of CV risk factors. The 10-year absolute CV risk among 60-69-year-old RA patients with no risk factors was 16.8%, but rose to 60.4% if risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and obesity were present. Among RA patients with a low body mass index, in addition to the above risk factors, the 10-year absolute CV risk rose to 86.2%.

Conclusion: More than half of the newly diagnosed RA patients who were 50-59 years of age and all of those >60 years of age had a >10% risk of CV disease within 10 years of their RA incidence and should be targeted for specific CV risk reduction strategies tailored to their personal risk profiles.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Cumulative incidence of combined CV endpoint by age groups in RA and non-RA subjects
a. 40-49 and 50-59 years old RA (solid lines) and non-RA (dotted lines) subjects b. 60-69 and 70-79 year old RA (solid lines) and non-RA (dotted lines) subjects
Figure 2
Figure 2. Estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk by age groups among non-RA (first column) and RA (second column) subjects, Rochester, MN
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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