Boala coronariană ischemică în artrita reumatoidă

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease which is associated with an increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality that is independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Atherosclerosis is also an inflammatory disease and there are striking parallels between the inflammatory and immunological mechanisms in atherosclerotic plaque and rheumatoid synovitis. Substantial evidence suggests that chronic systemic inflammation contributes to excess cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis and that effective suppression of rheumatoid arthritis associated inflammation appears to reduce mortality. The cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis requires an effective and sustained control of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity, a high index of suspicion, and prompt investigation of suspected cardiac disease.