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Atherosclerotic vascular disease in the autoimmune rheumatologic patient

Rekha Mankad1

  • 1Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA, mankad.rekha@mayo.edu.

Current Atherosclerosis Reports
|February 28, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Autoimmune diseases significantly increase the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), especially in women. Recognizing this link and inflammation

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Immunology
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are linked to higher atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) risk.
  • Women are disproportionately affected by autoimmune conditions and have higher cardiovascular mortality, highlighting a critical gender-specific risk.
  • Inflammation and immune dysregulation are shared mechanisms underlying both autoimmune conditions and atherosclerosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the heightened cardiovascular risk in patients with autoimmune diseases.
  • To investigate the role of inflammation and immune mechanisms in ASCVD development within this population.
  • To address the under-recognition of cardiovascular risk in autoimmune patients and the limitations of current risk assessment tools.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis of existing research on autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Analysis of the interplay between inflammatory pathways, immune responses, and atherogenesis.
  • Examination of the performance of traditional cardiovascular risk algorithms in autoimmune populations.

Main Results:

  • Autoimmune diseases are associated with a substantially increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and other ASCVDs.
  • Current cardiovascular risk prediction models inadequately capture the elevated risk in patients with autoimmune conditions.
  • Inflammation is a key driver of atherosclerosis in autoimmune disease, contributing to cardiovascular risk beyond traditional factors.

Conclusions:

  • There is a critical need to improve awareness and recognition of elevated cardiovascular risk among autoimmune patients and healthcare providers.
  • Novel risk assessment strategies incorporating inflammatory markers are needed for the autoimmune population.
  • Understanding the shared inflammatory pathways is crucial for developing targeted prevention and treatment strategies for cardiovascular disease in autoimmune conditions.

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