Arthritis and Cardiovascular Disease

Sooooo .. cardiovascular IS linked to arthritis .. IE: blood ..
flowwww .. ?
Might be why those blood thinners work for arthritis on those long
haul flights .. ?

Public release date: 13-Jun-2008

European League Against Rheumatism
Contact: Rory Berrie / Camilla Dormer
eularpressoffice@uk.cohnwolfe.com
44-077-892-70392

Rheumatoid arthritis factors equal to cardiovascular factors in risk
of severe cardiovascular events
Data from the CORRONA registry
Paris, France, Friday 13 June 2008: Certain cardiovascular disease
(CVD) risk factors and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease factors have
a similar effect on an RA patient's risk of experiencing myocardial
infarction (MI) or stroke, according to a new study presented today at
EULAR 2008, the Annual Congress of the European League Against
Rheumatism in Paris, France.

The researchers studied 10,870 RA patients for a median of 24 months
across two cohorts - patients with active RA and those with prior
experience of CVD. Cox regression models revealed that the CVD risk
factors leading to an increased relative risk of MI or stroke were:
non-Caucasian ethnicity (relative risk (RR) 1.26), body mass index (RR
1.25), prior MI (RR 1.75), and any current tobacco use (RR 1.92). The
RA disease factors leading to an increased relative risk of MI or
stroke were: nodules (RR 1.44), Health Assessment Questionnaire
Disability Index (HAQ-DI) (RR 1.20 per each point increase) and the
Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) (RR 1.06 per each point
increase). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve
(c-statistic) of the CVD risk factor and RA disease factor models
(adjusting for age and gender) were both calculated as 0.75,
demonstrating a comparable relationship with CVD endpoints for both RA
and CVD risk factors..

Lead investigator, Professor Daniel H Solomon of Brigham and Women's
Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, said: "It has been
established that people with RA are more likely to experience
cardiovascular disease or complications than the general population,
but our research examines the importance of RA-specific factors
compared with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. We have shown
that having more high risk RA-specific risk factors increases the CVD
risk to a rate similar to that of traditional cardiovascular risk
factors. We hope that the results of our study lead to more robust
clinical prediction rules for CVD outcomes in RA along with
appropriate management and treatment options for the future."

All data were taken from the Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of
North America, Inc. (CORRONA) independent registry, the largest
physician-based RA registry in the US, which carries information on
over 15,000 patients with RA and other rheumatic conditions. Records
for patients who had made at least two visits to healthcare facilities
were selected and information about CVD risk factors, with RA disease
factors drawn from baseline questionnaires.

CVD outcomes included MI, stroke and transient ischemic attack,
reported and then confirmed by the treating rheumatologist. CVD risk
factors included a history of coronary artery disease or MI, diabetes,
hypertension, family history of premature MI, body mass index,
dyslipidemia (assessed as use of a lipid-lowering agent), non-
Caucasian ethnicity, and current tobacco use.

RA disease factors included duration of RA, rheumatoid factor status,
HAQ, CDAI, subcutaneous nodules, Sjogrens (an autoimmune condition
associated with arthritis), tender joint count, swollen joint count,
and total joint replacements. These variables were assessed as
predictors of CVD outcomes in separate Cox regression models, with age
and gender included in both. Finally, the discriminatory value of
these variables was assessed by calculating the area under the
receiver operating characteristic curve (C statistic) in logistic
regression.


###

For further information on this study, or to request an interview with
the study lead, please do not hesitate to contact the EULAR congress
press office on:

Email: eularpressoffice@uk.cohnwolfe.com

Rory Berrie: Onsite tel: +44 (0) 7789 270 392
Camilla Dormer: Onsite tel: +44 (0) 7876 190 439

Abstract number: SAT0148

About EULAR


The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the organisation
which represents the patient, health professional and scientific
societies of rheumatology of all the European nations.


The aims of EULAR are to reduce the burden of rheumatic diseases on
the individual and society and to improve the treatment, prevention
and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal diseases. To this end, EULAR
fosters excellence in education and research in the field of
rheumatology. It promotes the translation of research advances into
daily care and fights for the recognition of the needs of people with
musculoskeletal diseases by the governing bodies in Europe.


Diseases of bones and joints, such as rheumatoid arthritis and
osteoarthritis cause disability in 4 - 5 % of the adult population and
are predicted to rise as people live longer.


As new treatments emerge and cellular mechanisms are discovered, EULAR
2008 brings together more than 12,000 experts - scientists,
clinicians, healthcare workers, pharmaceutical companies and patients
- to share their knowledge in a global endeavour to challenge the pain
and disability caused by musculo-skeletal disorders.

To find out more information about the activities of EULAR, visit:
www.eular.org


Who loves ya.
Tom


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