Cardiovascular risk and rheumatoid arthritis

Excess mortality appears to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis, with life expectancy reduced by 5 to 10 years. Several studies have recently emphasized the preponderance of cardiovascular events in the excess mortality associated with rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis is currently considered an inflammatory process. The latter is similar to that observed in rheumatoid arthritis. Other explanations could account for this risk, in addition to the inflammatory syndrome, there is the greater prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, the deleterious effect of treatments, the lesser prevention of cardiovascular diseases in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.All these factors make it necessary to look for high-risk situations and the risk factors that are responsible for them. This conduct will interest asymptomatic subjects to establish primary prevention and specific populations for secondary prevention.