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Is ankylosing spondylitis a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and how do these risks compare with those in

Jonas K Eriksson1, Lennart Jacobsson2, Karin Bengtsson2

  • 1Clinical Epidemiology Unit and Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|June 11, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) face a 30%-50% higher risk of cardiovascular events compared to the general population. This risk is similar for stroke but lower for acute coronary syndromes and thrombotic events than in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Cardiology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic inflammatory conditions.
  • Cardiovascular (CV) disease is a significant concern in patients with inflammatory arthropathies.
  • Understanding CV risk phenotypes in AS and RA is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the incidence of cardiovascular events between patients with AS, RA, and the general population.
  • To analyze CV event risk by specific phenotypes (acute coronary syndromes, thromboembolic events, stroke).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized national registries to identify cohorts of AS (n=5358), RA (n=37,245), and matched general population subjects (n=25,006).
  • Followed cohorts from 2006-2011 until December 31, 2012, for incident CV events.
  • Calculated age/sex-standardized incidence rates and relative risks using Cox proportional hazards models.

Main Results:

  • Patients with AS showed a 1.3-fold increased risk for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and a 1.4-fold increased risk for thromboembolic events compared to the general population.
  • Patients with RA had a 1.7-fold increased risk for ACS and a 1.8-fold increased risk for thromboembolic events.
  • Both AS and RA patients exhibited a 1.5-fold increased risk for stroke compared to the general population.

Conclusions:

  • Prevalent AS patients have a 30%-50% increased risk of incident CV events.
  • Compared to RA patients, AS patients had a similar risk increase for stroke but a lower risk for ACS and thrombotic events.
Abstract

Keywords:
Ankylosing SpondylitisCardiovascular DiseaseEpidemiologyPsoriatic Arthritis

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