The Cardiovascular Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis – Implications for Treatment

Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis is increased, about twice vs. controls, and cardiovascular diseases are a major cause. The pathogenesis is primarily accelerated atherosclerosis of the coronary, cervical, and cerebral arteries which is premature, pervasive, and progressive but often occult, under-recognized and under-treated. It is mostly driven by the chronic, systemic autoimmune inflammation but increased prevalence of traditional risk factors and adverse effects of treatments are also very important.
Source: The American Journal of Medicine - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research