# Patterns and risk of cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis: a nationwide cohort study in the UK

## TL;DR

This study finds that patients with early rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis still face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, mainly due to traditional risk factors like hypertension and smoking.

## Contribution

The study provides updated evidence on cardiovascular risk in early inflammatory arthritis during the modern treat-to-target era.

## Key findings

- CVD hospitalization risk is about 25% higher in inflammatory arthritis patients compared to the general population.
- Traditional CVD risk factors like hypertension and diabetes are the main drivers of increased cardiovascular risk.
- Better early treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis is linked to lower CVD risk.

## Abstract

Patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA), including RA and PsA, have an elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. It is unclear whether this persists in the modern treat-to-target era, particularly in early disease. This study evaluates CVD risk and mortality in a contemporary early RA and PsA cohort.

Adults (≥18 years) with newly diagnosed RA or PsA registered in the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) from 2018 to 2023 were included. Incidence rates of CVD events, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause and CVD mortality were calculated. Standardized incidence and mortality ratios compared outcomes with the general population. Competing risk regression assessed factors associated with CVD outcomes.

A total of 1012/17 669 RA and 104/3271 PsA participants had CVD hospitalizations. The incidence of MACE hospitalizations was 2.4/100 person-years (95% CI 2.2, 2.7) in RA and 0.6/100 person-years (95% CI 0.4, 1.0) in PsA. The risk of CVD hospitalizations was ≈25% higher in IA participants. Compared with the general population, all-cause mortality was 1.1 times higher in RA. CVD incidence and mortality were consistently higher in males. Hypertension, diabetes and smoking were associated with an increased CVD risk. Early corticosteroid use did not predict CVD, while better early RA treatment response was linked to lower CVD risk.

A greater incidence of CVD and MACE exists in early IA, although less than previously reported. Traditional CVD risk factors are the dominant explanation for the risk increase, with disease control being a smaller but significant contributor to risk. Routine cardiovascular risk assessment in early IA remains justified.