Rheumatologists, take heart! We may be doing something right

Arthritis Res Ther. 2008;10(2):105. doi: 10.1186/ar2364. Epub 2008 Mar 7.

Abstract

In the present issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy data are presented suggesting that antirheumatic therapies decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The QUEST-RA group, a large international collaboration, analyzed data on 4,363 patients in a cross-sectional manner. Traditional risk factors were all significantly associated with cardiovascular events, and the presence of extraarticular disease significantly increased the risk, confirming a previous publication. The most interesting analysis in this study suggests that effective antirheumatic treatment, with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), glucocorticoids, or anti-TNF biologics, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis. Some methodological issues are discussed, however, and confirmatory studies are suggested.

Publication types

  • Comment
  • Editorial

MeSH terms

  • Antirheumatic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / complications*
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / drug therapy
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / complications*
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Glucocorticoids / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / antagonists & inhibitors

Substances

  • Antirheumatic Agents
  • Glucocorticoids
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha