Cardiovascular Risk Factor and Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To highlight advancements in managing traditional and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) specific risk factors and the impact of RA treatments on cardiovascular outcomes.

RECENT FINDINGS

Advancements in rheumatoid arthritis management have paralleled declining trends in cardiovascular disease risks. Biomarkers like CRP, Lipoprotein(a), Apolipoprotein B 100, and imaging tools such as coronary artery calcium scoring enhance cardiovascular risk stratification, particularly in intermediate-risk RA patients. While effective RA treatments, have demonstrated substantial cardiovascular benefits, subclass differences were noted in high-risk patients. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease is driven by chronic inflammation, altered lipid metabolism, and traditional risk factors. Effective RA treatment significantly lowers cardiovascular events. Standard treatment of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia are effective and lowers RA disease activity and inflammatory markers. While RA is considered a risk enhancing state in calculating CV risk scores, currently there exists no RA disease -specific blood pressure, blood sugar or lipid targets.