Cardiovascular disease prevention in individuals with underlying chronic inflammatory disease

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Rheumatology
• Dermatology
• Immunology

Background:

• Chronic inflammatory diseases significantly elevate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus are common systemic inflammatory disorders (SIDs) linked to increased CVD.
• Existing CVD risk assessment tools often underestimate risk in these patient populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current evidence on cardiovascular prevention strategies for patients with psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of existing and emerging cardiovascular risk assessment tools in SIDs.
• To highlight the need for comprehensive management approaches in managing CVD risk in chronic inflammatory conditions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of current evidence on cardiovascular prevention in SIDs.
• Analysis of the performance of general population and disease-specific cardiovascular risk assessment tools.
• Discussion of current and future therapeutic interventions, including risk factor modification and anti-inflammatory treatments.

Main Results:

• General population CVD risk tools underestimate risk in SIDs.
• Disease-specific risk estimators show variable accuracy and require further validation.
• The role of universal statin therapy in SIDs is unclear; aggressive risk factor modification and disease activity control are crucial.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive approach integrating cardiovascular risk factor modification, systemic inflammation control, and enhanced awareness is essential for CVD prevention in chronic inflammatory diseases.
• Further clinical trials are needed to ascertain the benefits of disease-specific anti-inflammatory therapies on cardiovascular risk reduction.