Increased cardiovascular disease in patients with inflammatory arthritis in primary care: A cross-sectional observation

Abstract

Objective. To compare the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with inflammatory arthritis and control subjects registered in primary care. Methods. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to compare the CVD prevalence in patients and controls, aged 50-75 years. Results. Overall, the CVD prevalence was 66.1 per 1000 patients in inflammatory arthritis and 37.3 per 1000 patients in controls, resulting in an odds ratio of 1.83 (95% confidence interval 1.33-2.51). Conclusion. Inflammatory arthritis patients registered in primary care are associated with an increased cardiovascular burden, which emphasizes the need for cardiovascular risk management in the primary care setting. The Journal of Rheumatology Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved.