Incidence and Management of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Psoriatic Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Study

To examine the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus (DM), and obesity among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to the general population, and to examine the treatment of incident CV risk factors in PsA and RA compared to controls.

A cohort study was conducted within The Health Improvement Network, a medical record database in the UK, using data from 1994 to 2014. Patients ages 18-89 years with PsA or RA were matched to controls on practice and start date. The prevalence and incidence of CV risk factors identified by diagnostic codes were calculated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the relative incidence of these CV risk factors. Finally, pharmacologic therapies for incident CV risk factors were examined.

Study subjects included patients with PsA (n = 12,548), RA (n = 53,215), and controls (n = 389,269). The prevalence of all CV risk factors was significantly elevated in PsA. Only the prevalence of DM and obesity was increased in RA. Incidence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and DM was elevated in PsA and RA. Receipt of therapy within 1 year following incident diagnosis of CV risk factors was not substantially different between the groups; approximately 85%, 65%, and 45% of patients received prescriptions for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and DM, respectively.

Patients with PsA have an increased prevalence of CV risk factors, and both patients with PsA and patients with RA have increased incidence of a new diagnosis of CV risk factors. Pharmacologic treatment of CV risk factors in patients with PsA and RA was similar to controls in the UK.