Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of pulmonary embolism in patients with inflammatory joint disease-results from the nationwide Norwegian Cardio-rheuma registry.

Aims: Patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJD), including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) have increased rates of pulmonary embolism (PE). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) use is associated with PE in the general population. Our aim was to evaluate the association between NSAIDs use and PE in IJD patients.

A Clinical Audit of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Disease in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis - SURF-RA.

Background And Aims: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are at a high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This implies a need for meticulous CVD risk factor recording and control.

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the international prevalence of ASCVD in RA patients and to audit the prevalence and control of CVD risk factors.

Oral anticoagulant treatment in rheumatoid arthritis patients with atrial fibrillation results of an international audit.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to evaluate the proportion of patients with AF receiving guideline-recommended anticoagulation for prevention of stroke, based on data from a large international audit.

Methods: The cohort was derived from the international audit rvey of cardiovascular disease isk actors in patients with heumatoid rthritis (SURF-RA) which collected data from 17 countries during 2014-2019. We evaluated the prevalence of AF across world regions and explored factors associated with the presence of AF with multivariable logistic regression models.

Urate crystal deposition is associated with inflammatory markers and carotid artery pathology in patients with intercritical gout: results from the NOR-Gout study.

Background: Gout is of unknown reason associated with cardiovascular disease. Ultrasound is sensitive for detecting crystal deposition and plasma calprotectin is a sensitive inflammatory marker. This study explores the associations between crystal deposition, inflammation and carotid artery pathology.

Psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in Norway: nationwide prevalence and use of biologic agents.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the use of biologic agents in these diseases in Norway.

Methods: From the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR), we identified as PsA, axSpA and RA patients ≥18 years those with ≥2 recorded episodes with diagnostic coding for index disease (L40.5, M07.

Incidence, sociodemographic factors and treatment penetration of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis in Norway.

Objectives: To evaluate nationwide incidence, sociodemographic associations and treatment penetration of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in Norway.

Methods: The study combined data from nationwide registries on the total Norwegian adult population (age ≥ 18). From the Norwegian Patient Registry, incident RA and PsA cases during 2011-2015 were identified with records of first and second healthcare episodes listing RA/PsA diagnostic codes, and ≥ 1 episode in an internal medicine or rheumatology unit with RA/PsA code during the two-year period after the first episode.

Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular risk management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an international audit.

Aim: The objective was to examine the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and its risk factors among patients with RA with diabetes mellitus (RA-DM) and patients with RA without diabetes mellitus (RAwoDM), and to evaluate lipid and blood pressure (BP) goal attainment in RA-DM and RAwoDM in primary and secondary prevention.

Methods: The cohort was derived from the Survey of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis from 53 centres/19 countries/3 continents during 2014-2019. We evaluated the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among RA-DM and RAwoDM.

An international audit of the management of dyslipidaemia and hypertension in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from 19 countries.

Aims: To assess differences in estimated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from different world regions and to evaluate the management and goal attainment of lipids and blood pressure (BP).

Methods And Results: The survey of CVD risk factors in patients with RA was conducted in 14 503 patients from 19 countries during 2014-19. The treatment goal for BP was <140/90 mmHg.

Degree of arterial stiffness is comparable across inflammatory joint disease entities.

Objectives: Inflammatory joint disease (IJD) is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Arterial stiffness is both a risk factor and a surrogate marker for CVD. This study aims to compare arterial stiffness across patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis, and, by extension, to explore the relationship between arterial stiffness and the estimated CVD risk by the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) algorithm.

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Impact of Inflammation and Antirheumatic Treatment.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at approximately 1.5-fold risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population, a phenomenon resulting from combined effects of traditional CVD risk factors and systemic inflammation. Rheumatoid synovitis and unstable atherosclerotic plaques share common inflammatory mechanisms, such as expression of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease prevention in rheumatoid arthritis.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Inflammation has a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of CVD. RA is an inflammatory joint disease and, compared with the general population, patients with RA have approximately double the risk of atherosclerotic CVD, stroke, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

Preclinical cardiac organ damage during statin treatment in patients with inflammatory joint diseases: the RORA-AS statin intervention study.

Objective: Statin treatment has been associated with reduction in blood pressure and arterial stiffness in patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJD). We tested whether statin treatment also was associated with regression of preclinical cardiac organ damage in IJD patients.

Methods: Echocardiography was performed in 84 IJD patients (52 RA, 20 ankylosing spondylitis, 12 psoriatric arthritis, mean age 61 (9) years, 63% women) without known cardiovascular disease before and after 18 months of rosuvastatin treatment.

Prediction of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis using risk age calculations: evaluation of concordance across risk age models.

Background: In younger individuals, low absolute risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may conceal an increased risk age and relative risk of CVD. Calculation of risk age is proposed as an adjuvant to absolute CVD risk estimation in European guidelines. We aimed to compare the discriminative ability of available risk age models in prediction of CVD in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Strategies for implementation of guideline recommended cardiovascular risk management for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from a questionnaire survey of expert rheumatology centers.

The aim was to study the different strategies used to implement cardiovascular risk evaluation and management for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily clinical practice. A questionnaire survey was performed among both the members of the international Trans-Atlantic Cardiovascular Risk Consortium for Rheumatoid Arthritis (ATACC-RA) as well as the Survey of cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVD-RF) in patients with RA (SURF-RA) group. The questionnaire included 18 questions with the overarching topics: (1) organization and responsibility of cardiovascular risk management (CVRM); (2) screening of CVD-RFs; (3) overview current CVRM status; and (4) availability of data regarding CVRM.

Effects of long-term statin-treatment on coronary atherosclerosis in patients with inflammatory joint diseases.

Background: The effect of statins over time on coronary atherosclerosis in patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJD) is unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the change in coronary plaque morphology and volume in long-term statin-treated patients with IJD.

Methods: Sixty-eight patients with IJD and carotid artery plaque(s) underwent coronary computed tomography angiography before and after a mean of 4.

Smoking cessation is associated with lower disease activity and predicts cardiovascular risk reduction in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objectives: Smoking is a major risk factor for the development of both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and RA and may cause attenuated responses to anti-rheumatic treatments. Our aim was to compare disease activity, CVD risk factors and CVD event rates across smoking status in RA patients.

Methods: Disease characteristics, CVD risk factors and relevant medications were recorded in RA patients without prior CVD from 10 countries (Norway, UK, Netherlands, USA, Sweden, Greece, South Africa, Spain, Canada and Mexico).

Smoking cessation intervention for reducing disease activity in chronic autoimmune inflammatory joint diseases.

Background: Chronic inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs) affect 1% to 2% of the population in developed countries. IJDs include rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and other forms of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Tobacco smoking is considered a significant environmental risk factor for developing IJDs.

Biomarkers of cardiovascular risk across phenotypes of osteoarthritis.

Background: The objective of this study was to explore the associations between ultrasonographic and radiographic joint scores and levels of arterial CVD risk markers in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Secondly, to compare the levels of arterial CVD risk markers between OA phenotypes and controls.

Method: The "Musculoskeletal pain in Ullensaker" Study (MUST) invited residents of Ullensaker municipality with self-reported OA to a medical examination.

High intensity exercise for 3 months reduces disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA): a multicentre randomised trial of 100 patients.

Background: Exercise is considered important in the management of patients with rheumatic diseases, but the effect of high intensity exercises on disease activity is unknown.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of high intensity exercises on disease activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

Method: Assessor blinded multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Feasibility of cardiovascular disease risk assessments in rheumatology outpatient clinics: experiences from the nationwide NOCAR project.

Objective: The European League Against Rheumatism recommends implementing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessments for patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs) into clinical practice. Our goal was to design a structured programme for CVD risk assessments to be implemented into routine rheumatology outpatient clinic visits.

Methods: The NOrwegian Collaboration on Atherosclerosis in patients with Rheumatic joint diseases (NOCAR) started in April 2014 as a quality assurance project including 11 Norwegian rheumatology clinics.

Left Ventricular Systolic Myocardial Function in Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Objective: Subclinical left ventricular (LV) myocardial dysfunction is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it is not known whether subclinical LV myocardial dysfunction is present in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) independent of CVD risk factors.

Methods: Conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography were performed in 106 patients with AS (mean ± SD age 48 ± 12 years; 59% men) and 106 matched controls (mean ± SD age 51 ± 12 years; 59% men). LV systolic myocardial function was assessed by peak systolic global longitudinal strain (GLS).

The effect of brief versus individually tailored dietary advice on change in diet, lipids and blood pressure in patients with inflammatory joint disease.

Background: Patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to the general population. Nutritional advice has been shown to influence CVD risk factors. Our objective was to evaluate whether an individually tailored dietary counselling versus a brief standardised advice on heart-friendly diet had comparable effect on change in diet, lipids and blood pressure (BP) in patients with IJD.