Atherosclerosis in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Both Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and atherosclerosis are complex polygenic diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with RA are associated with up to 60% increased risk of cardiovascular disease related death. Nonetheless, the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with RA cannot be entirely explained by traditional risk factors, and likely to be multifactorial. The present article reviews the data supporting the association of RA with cardiovascular risk factors, possible mechanism for developing atherosclerosis and evaluates the potential strategies that may prevent premature atherosclerosis in these patients.

类风湿关节炎（RA）和动脉粥样硬化均为复杂的多基因疾病。先前的研究表明，类风湿关节炎患者心血管疾病相关死亡的风险增加高达60%。然而，类风湿关节炎患者心血管疾病发病率和死亡率的增加不能完全由传统风险因素解释，可能是多因素的。本文综述了支持类风湿关节炎与心血管风险因素相关的数据、动脉粥样硬化发生的可能机制，并评估了可能预防这些患者过早发生动脉粥样硬化的潜在策略。