Autoimmune diseases linked with incident cardiovascular disease

Autoimmune diseases have been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but questions remain about these relationships and the implications for preventing CVD.

Investigators used large databases from the UK to study the associations between 19 of the most common autoimmune diseases and CVD outcomes. They ultimately identified approximately 446,000 eligible people with a new autoimmune disease diagnosis (mean age at diagnosis, 47 years; 61% women) and more than 2.1 million controls, matched by demographic and clinical characteristics, who did not have an autoimmune disease.

During a median follow-up of 6.2 years, 15.3% of people with an autoimmune disease and 11.0% of controls had incident CVD (hazard ratio, 1.56). This significantly higher CVD incidence was documented across patient subgroups, with the greatest risks in people with systemic sclerosis, Addison's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and type 1 diabetes.

The increased risk was found in each analysed CVD category — and was greatest for myocarditis and pericarditis, peripheral artery disease, and infective endocarditis. Traditional risk factors did not explain the findings.

Source: Journal Watch