The lipid paradox in rheumatoid arthritis: the dark horse of the augmented cardiovascular risk

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation that, if left untreated, can cause joint destruction and physical impairments. The inflammatory process is systematic, and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Over the last years, mortality presents a decreasing trend; still, there is a high burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in RA that seems to be related to coronary atherosclerosis. Chronic inflammation, physical inactivity, and drugs used to treat RA are some of the reasons. Thus, the management of CVD risk is essential and involves the patient's stratification using distinct parameters that include assessment of the blood lipid profile. However, 'dyslipidemia' in RA patients follows a different pattern under the impact of inflammatory processes, while therapies that target the underlying disease change the levels of specific lipid components. In this review, we explore the relationship between blood lipids and inflammation in the so-called ΄lipid paradox΄ in RA, and we present the existing knowledge over the influence of antirheumatic drugs on the lipid profile of RA patients.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Dyslipidemia; Inflammation; Lipid paradox; Lipoprotein metabolism; Rheumatoid arthritis.