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We thank Athanasios et al for their interest in our original report entitled, ‘Cardiovascular effects of biological versus conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy in treatment-naive, early rheumatoid arthritis.1
Athanasios et al state that the findings of cardiovascular (CV) abnormalities in patients with new onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reported in the Coronary Artery Disease Evaluation in Rheumatoid Arthritis (CADERA) study are not surprising. While we agree that other studies, including the report by Athanasios that is quoted in the letter describe changes in early RA, there are no prospective randomised controlled trials of CV manifestations in very early RA cohorts. The trial cohort underpinning the ‘CADERA’ study had a median symptom duration of 20 weeks, with no history of CV disease (CVD) and a maximum of one traditional risk factor excluding diabetes mellitus. The results of …
Footnotes
Handling editor Josef S Smolen
Contributors MHB drafted the response with critical input from SP.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.