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A Human Ex Vivo Atherosclerotic Plaque Model to Study Lesion Biology
Published on: May 6, 2014
Atherosclerotic vascular damage and rheumatoid arthritis: a complex but intriguing link
Elena Bartoloni1, Alessia Alunno, Filippo Luccioli
1Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06100, Italy.
Abstract:
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a reduced life expectancy mainly due to cardiovascular disease. In long-standing disease, it has been widely demonstrated that both traditional cardiovascular risk and disease-related factors, including chronic inflammation and immune-mediated mechanisms, play a key role in accelerating atherosclerotic damage of the arterial wall. The short- and long-term effects of immunosuppressive treatment on cardiovascular disease outcome is, however, uncertain and a multidisciplinary approach appears to represent the best management of cardiovascular risk in these patients.
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