Higher risk of cardiovascular events in people with rheumatoid is decreasing

Excess risk of cardiovascular events in people with rheumatoid arthritis compared to the general population has decreased since the year 2000, experts highlighted at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.

A new analysis of the data says there is still a higher risk of cardiovascular disease among people with rheumatoid arthritis relative to the general population, but this is decreasing.

The reduction could be due to better management of cardiovascular risk in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

“However, knowing that systemic inflammation is the cornerstone of both rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis, it may also be related to better control of chronic systemic inflammation as the result of new therapeutic strategies,” says Prof Cécile Gaujoux-Viala who is involved in the work.

“Over the past 15 years, new treatment strategies such as tight control, treat to target, methotrexate optimisation, and the use of biologic DMARDs has allowed a better control of systemic inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

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