Studies on cardiovascular (CV) death rate in arthritis inception cohorts
| Author, year (ref.) | Population studied | Criteria to enter cohort | RA patients | Controls | Inclusion in relation to symptom onset | Follow-up | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CV death | |||||||
| Franklin, 201035 | Norfolk Arthritis Register, UK | IP: ≥2 swollen joints ≥4 weeks. Exclusion if not RA | 800 | Norfolk population | Median 7.0 years (IQR 5.8–8.1) | No increase in SMR for CV disease in RA patients or in subgroups by sex or RF status | |
| Naz, 200821 | Norfolk Arthritis Register, UK | IP: ≥2 swollen joints ≥4 weeks. Patients were later required to meet the ACR criteria | 1098 (267 RF-positive) | Norfolk population | Median delay from symptom onset 5 months | 5 and 10 years after disease onset. Median duration of follow-up 11.4 years | 5-year SMR for CV disease was 1.93, 10-year SMR 2.00 in RF+ patients. In the whole follow-up, SMR for CV disease mortality was 1.25 for the whole population |
| Young, 200791 | The early RA study inception cohort, multicentre, UK | RA symptoms <2 years, no prior treatment | 1429 | Age- and sex-matched population | RA symptoms <2 years, median 6 months | Up to 19 years, median 9.1 years | SMR was 1.27 for all-causes and 1.49 for CHD. Mortality was increased, driven by CHD, in the first 7 years of RA. RF was a predictor for death |
| Goodson, 200590 | Patients at Stockport rheumatology clinics in Manchester, UK | Clinical diagnosis by a rheumatologist | 1010; 515 for CV admissions | Population of Stockport | 6–22 years, median 11.4 years | SMR in CV disease was 1.36 for men and 1.93 for women. SMRs were higher in the RF+. No difference in CV admission rates was observed | |
| Goodson, 200220 | Norfolk Arthritis Register, UK | IP: ≥2 swollen joints ≥4 weeks. Exclusion if not RA | 1236 (320 RF positive) | Norfolk population | Median delay from symptom onset 6.2 months | 5–10 years, median 6.9 years | SMR for CV disease among RF+ women was 2.02, no other significances |
ACR, American College of Rheumatology; CHD, coronary heart disease; CV, cardiovascular; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; IP, inflammatory polyarthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor; SMR, standardised mortality ratio.