[Cardiac complications in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis]

Connective tissue diseases are a group of more than 300 separate diseases. It can affect every system of organs, including the cardiovascular system. This process is particularly highly expressed in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects 0.5-1.0% of Europeans. The most common cardiac manifestation of RA is pericarditis. Its main risk factor is the occurrence of rheumatic nodules in people with the presence of serum rheumatoid factor. An important health problem in RA is also an increased risk of atherosclerosis and ischemic myocardial disease, the intensity of which grows independently of traditional risk factors and mainly depends on the severity of inflammation and duration of the disease. In rheumatoid arthritis also endocarditis, heart valves damage and ventricular arrhythmias can occure. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is most common in women between age 16 to 55. Cardiovascular complications of this disease are the third biggest cause of death of patients. The most common cardiac manifestation of SLE is pericarditis occurring in approximately 20 to 50% of the ill. Libman-Sacks non-infectious endocarditis characterized by thickening of the heart valves and the presence of non-bacterial vegetation is characteristic for SLE. Systemic sclerosis is characterized by progressive fibrosis of skin and internal organs and disorders of the morphology and function of blood vessels. Cardiac manifestations of systemic sclerosis are mainly heart failure and arrhythmias. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) has developed a number of recommendations related to the prevention and therapy of cardiovascular events in RA. Since an increased risk of cardiovascular complications applies to many rheumatic diseases, there is a need to extend these recommendations to other connective tissue diseases.