Rheumatoid Arthritis - A Model of Systemic Inflammation Driving Atherosclerosis

Similarities between the inflammatory pathways in atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are striking. Chronic systemic inflammation in RA patients leads to cardiovascular (CV) events beyond traditional cardiac risk factors. Clinicians typically focus on treating the joint manifestations of RA while neglecting to eliminate systemic inflammation, which leaves RA patients vulnerable to adverse CV events. In this review we provide an understanding of how systemic inflammation in RA accelerates atherosclerosis. This knowledge should guide therapeutic targets to minimize CV risk in RA, and may lead to insights into the inflammatory mechanisms of atherosclerosis in general. (Circ J 2009; 73: 977-985)