Cardiovascular disease in rheumatic diseases

Abstract

The representatives of immunoinflammatory diseases are rheumatic ones, such as primarily rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other systemic connective diseases, which are characterized by a high risk for untimely death. The high risk of untimely death in these diseases has been found to be associated with the severity of an immunoinflammatory process that gives rise to severe irreversible damage to vital organs and systems and with the development of a wide spectrum of comorbidities (infections, interstitial lung disease, malignant tumors, osteoporotic fractures, etc.). Among them, diseases of the cardiovascular system, which are most commonly caused by the early development and accelerated progression of atherosclerotic coronary lesions, hold a central position. The paper gives the data available in the recent literature on the impact of antirheumatic therapy (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological agents) on the cardiovascular system.

Keywords

• rheumatic diseases
• risk factors for cardiovascular diseases
• methotrexate
• biological agents
• cardiovascular risk