Assessing cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients on Janus kinase inhibitors: real-world data from the...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Cardiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) are effective for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
• Growing evidence suggests potential cardiovascular (CV) safety concerns with JAKi use.
• Patients with RA have an inherently elevated baseline CV risk, necessitating careful risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of the CUORE algorithm, adjusted with a 1.5 multiplication factor, for cardiovascular risk stratification in RA patients treated with JAK inhibitors.
• To evaluate the incidence of major cardiovascular events in this patient cohort.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 116 RA patients treated with JAKi (2020-2025), excluding those with prior CV events.
• Cardiovascular risk assessment using the CUORE algorithm, modified with a 1.5 multiplication factor.
• Stratification of patients into low, intermediate, and high cardiovascular risk categories.

Main Results:

• Patients were stratified into low (37.9%), intermediate (48.3%), and high (13.8%) risk categories.
• Over a median follow-up of 25.6 months, only one major CV event (myocardial infarction) occurred.
• No cardiovascular deaths were recorded during the study period.

Conclusions:

• The adjusted CUORE algorithm appears feasible for cardiovascular risk stratification in RA patients receiving JAK inhibitors.
• The findings suggest the algorithm's potential utility in guiding CV prevention strategies for this population.
• Larger, multicenter studies are required to validate the algorithm's predictive value and incorporate RA-specific factors.