Rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease

June 13, 2008

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been found to be comparable to the risk of CVD in people with type 2 diabetes, according to the conclusions of two studies presented today at EULAR 2008, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Paris, France.

At least one CV-event was reported in 8.6% of the RA population studied, a figure that was double that reported in the general population (4.3%), corresponding with an incidence of 3.14 per 100 patient/years (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.98-4.30) for RA patients, and 1.51 per 100 person/years (95%-CI: 1.18-1.84) for the general population.

In a second study, the age- and gender- adjusted prevalence odds ratios for CVD were found to be 2.3 (95%-CI: 1.3-4.0) for those with type 2 diabetes and 2.0 (95%-CI: 1.1-3.4) for those with RA, indicating a similar CVD risk for the two diseases.

Dr Mike Peters of the VU University Medical Center and Jan van Breemen Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, an investigator in both studies (lead investigator: Dr Michael T Nurmohamed), said, "These two studies suggest that RA should be considered an important cardiovascular disease risk factor. Healthcare professionals treating those with the disease should therefore be aware of this elevated risk and advise their patients to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle and be alert to the early signs and symptoms of CVD in addition to managing their RA."

The studies both examined 353 randomly selected outpatients with RA (from the CARRÉ study) and participants of a population-based cohort study on diabetes and CVD (the Hoorn study).

The first study compared 3-year incident CVD in both the CARRÉ and Hoorn studies, using Cox proportional hazards models. In the second, patients with normal fasting glucose levels from the CARRÉ study (n=294) were compared to individuals from the Hoorn study with a normal glucose metabolism (n=258) and individuals with type 2 diabetes (n=194). Both made adjustments for other CV risk factors, i.e. blood pressure, anti-hypertensive agent use, total cholesterol, statin use, waist to hip ratio and smoking.

Source: European League Against Rheumatism


Rank 5 /5 (2 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Overeating may double risk of memory loss

New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created 1 hour ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor

(AP) -- It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.

Medicine & Health / Health

created 6 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Starve a virus, feed a cure? Findings show how some cells protect themselves against HIV

A protein that protects some of our immune cells from the most common and virulent form of HIV works by starving the virus of the molecular building blocks that it needs to replicate, according to research published online ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created 4 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

FDA-approved drug rapidly clears amyloid from the brain, reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice

Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show t ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (58) | comments 15 | with audio podcast

Green tea found to reduce disability in the elderly

(Medical Xpress) -- A lot of research has been done over the past several years looking into the health benefits of green tea. As a result, scientists have found that regular consumption of the beverage leads ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (15) | comments 10 | with audio podcast report


Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon

(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...

Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...

New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...

Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact

Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.

A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell

Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...

Researchers find extensive RNA editing in human transcriptome

In a new study published online in Nature Biotechnology, researchers from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, reported the evidence of extensive RNA editing in a human cell line by analysis of RNA-seq data, demons ...