Comparison of cardiovascular risk in ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis
McCarey, D.; Sturrock, R.D.
Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 27(4 Suppl 55: S124-S126
2009
ISSN/ISBN: 0392-856X PMID: 19822058 Document Number: 632240
Cardiovascular co-morbidity is now a recognised complication of chronic inflammation and an elevated acute phase response predisposes to hypertension, stroke and myocardial infarction. Dyslipidaemia is a feature of inflammatory joint diseases and is closely related to elevated CRP and Il-6 levels. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has an increased standardised mortality ratio largely attributable to cardiovascular risk. An increased although lesser, cardiovascular morbidity has also been observed in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) which has a similar abnormal lipid profile to that seen in RA. There is some evidence that therapeutic agents such as anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) drugs that down-regulate the acute phase response, also have an effect in reducing cardiovascular complications in RA and AS.