The risk of cardiovascular events among patients with established rheumatoid arthritis was more than double that of the general population over 15 years

he incidence of cardiovascular disease was more than double that of the general population, an increase that persisted even after adjustment for traditional risk factors, "indicating that the ongoing systemic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis is an independent contributor to cardiovascular risk," he said. "We need better implementation programs for screening and treating cardiovascular risks," he said. "There's accumulating evidence that anti-rheumatic treatment, particularly with biologics, decrease cardiovascular risk. However, our current strategy of tapering or stopping biologics might expose patients to increased risk. This should be addressed in future studies," he concluded. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACR/61425?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-11-15&eun=g721819d0r&pos=4