They note that “the potential cardiovascular toxicity of [hydroxychloroquine] in younger patients […] warrants further exploration,” based on existing evidence suggesting that the agent “may be associated with reduced risk of coronary artery disease in patients with RA.” medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2022 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group J Am Coll Cardiol 2022; 80 : 36–46 J Am Coll Cardiol 2022; 80 : 47–49

There was also no increased incidence for a selected group of 2977 high-risk patients, who were aged at least 50 years and had one or more cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipoproteinemia, or current smoking).

The study authors note that “[w]omen with gout have an elevated risk of metabolic comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and heart failure.”

Similar findings were seen for the secondary outcomes of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and coronary revascularization in the overall study population, with the nonsignificant HRs ranging from 0.93 to 1.07.

The researchers explain that patients are assigned an SLICC-FI score out of 48, based on 48 health deficits, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and malignancy, being absent (0 points) or present (1 point).

The researchers also conducted a subanalysis of patients at high risk for CV disease but again there was no significant difference between the two groups for the composite outcome or its individual components, or for hospitalization for heart failure.

Singh says that the primary outcome of the FAST trial was also neutral, with comparable rates of CV death, hospitalization for nonfatal myocardial infarction or biomarker-positive acute coronary syndrome, and nonfatal stroke in the febuxostat and allopurinol groups.

For instance, all CARES participants had established CV disease at baseline, compared with just 33% of those in FAST, and CARES included patients with severe heart failure, whereas FAST excluded people with New York Heart Association functional class III or IV heart failure.

The team also identified significant associations between the two genetic variants and an elevated risk for hypertension and type 2 diabetes, suggesting “that the excess risk of coronary events related to inhibition of sclerostin is driven, at least in part, by an increase in cardiovascular risk factors with an established etiological role in [coronary heart disease].”

Rheumatic diseases and their treatments may not be associated with outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but older age and comorbidities are likely risk factors for a severe COVID-19 disease course in rheumatology patients, suggest findings from two studies.

People with inflammatory arthritis have an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, and this risk is further increased by the presence of co-existing autoimmune disorders, research suggests.

Fagerli KM et al. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2018: key241. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/key241

Editorial Board member Fernando Pérez-Ruiz discusses the impact of hyperuricemia in cardiometabolic and chronic kidney disease, focusing on the role of genetic studies in showing a causal association between these conditions.

Higher disease activity is associated with an increased risk for serious infection, myocardial infarction, and coronary heart disease among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, US study results suggest.

The aim of this study is to determine which risk calculator correlates best with carotid ultrasound findings, specifically carotid plaque and carotid intima-media thickness in rheumatoid arthritis patients without clinical manifestations [ read more ].  Wah-Suarez MI et al. Clin Rheumatol 2018. doi: 10.1007/s10067-018-4181-4