类风湿关节炎心血管病变的研究进展

类风湿关节炎(RA)是临床中常见的自身免疫性疾病,其病因和发病机制复杂多样,具有较高的致残率和死亡率。除了经常引起关节肿胀、压痛外,心脏受累是RA常见的关节外表现,且与RA患者的预后密切相关。与普通人群相比,RA患者发生心血管疾病(CVD)的风险明显升高,从而会进一步增加患者的死亡风险。除了传统的心血管危险因素,如高血压、高脂血症、吸烟、肥胖、糖尿病、慢性肾脏病等外,一些非传统心血管危险因素如炎症、免疫、抗风湿药物的使用等被发现在RA患者的CVD发病中起重要作用。本文对RA患者合并心脏损害的相关临床表现及危险因素等展开综述,旨在为此类患者的诊断和治疗提供一定理论帮助。     

慢性肾脏病与心脑血管疾病

慢性肾脏病(CKD)是心血管疾病(CVD)发生、发展的独立危险因素.对于普通人群,CKD可明显增加CVD发生的风险;对于已有CVD或存在CVD危险因素的人群,CKD则可明显增加心血管事件如卒中、急性心肌梗死、心功能不全等的发生.另一方面,CVD又是促进CKD进展、影响CKD预后的重要因素,也是导致CKD患者致残、致死的第一位常见原因.     

类风湿关节炎与心血管疾病相关性的研究进展

类风湿关节炎(RA)是一种慢性全身炎症性疾病,而RA患者并发心血管疾病(CVD)的风险明显高于一般人群,且主要以动脉粥样硬化为主。RA与CVD具有明显相关性,本文综述RA与CVD之间流行病学及潜在病理生理机制,并对RA患者发生CVD风险的评估和管理的最新进展进行阐述。     

我国类风湿关节炎胃肠道和心血管危险因素调查:ATTENTION-1调查研究报告(二)

目的调查我国类风湿关节炎患者使用非甾体消炎药(non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,NSAIDs)时出现胃肠道危险因素的发生情况和对服用NSAIDs胃肠道危险因素的认知情况,以及使用NSAIDs后心血管风险的发生情况。方法全国多中心横断面非干预现场问卷调查研究,全国共有28家医院2646例RA患者参与问卷调查。结果参加调查的RA患者主要受累关节为手和腕关节。高剂量NSAIDs使用史、吸烟、使用糖皮质激素、高龄是最常见的胃肠道高危因素。52.46%的RA患者存在1个或2个危险因素,38.02%的RA患者存在3个以上危险因素。RA患者中,知晓导致服NSAIDs时胃肠道风险增加的危险因素依次是酗酒、消化道溃疡史和高龄。在使用糖皮质激素的RA患者中,25.52%的患者知晓服用高剂量糖皮质激素药物会导致胃肠道风险增加。心血管风险因素依次是高血压、高血脂和糖尿病。结论高剂量NSAIDs使用史、吸烟是最常见的胃肠道高危因素,38.02%RA患者存在3个以上的危险因素。高血压是心血管最常见的风险因素。对NSAIDs应均衡胃肠道风险和心血管风险后选用。     

慢性肾脏病血管钙化相关研究的进展及回顾

慢性肾脏病(CKD)患者的主要死亡风险来自于心血管疾病(CVD),而血管钙化(VC)是CVD的重要危险因素，也是CKD的常见并发症。因此全面掌握CKD患者血管钙化的分类、发病机制、诊断及治疗显得尤为重要。本文将从上述方面介绍CKD患者血管钙化相关研究的进展及回顾。     

类风湿关节炎并发心血管损害的临床特点与相关因素

目的 分析类风湿关节炎(rheumatoid arthritis,RA)患者并发心血管损害（CVD）的临床特点及相关因素。方法 回顾性分析RA患者临床资料122例,分为并发CVD的RA (并发CVD组)62例和未并发CVD的RA (单纯RA组)60例为对照组,进行单因素分析和多因素分析,多因素分析采用Logistic回归。结果 并发CVD组中患者发病年龄较小、病程较长,两组差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）,在性别比例、年龄、体质量指数（BMI）差异无统计学意义;并发CVD组中常见损害依次为高血压病、高脂血症和冠心病;心脏超声异常以瓣膜返流(61%)最多见;Logistic回归分析提示28个关节疾病活动度（DAS-28）评分、C反应蛋白（CRP）、总胆固醇（TC）和D二聚体水平升高与并发CVD密切相关。结论 CVD为RA患者常见的关节外表现,且表现多样。DAS-28 评分、CRP、TC和D二聚体水平升高与RA并发CVD密切相关。     

糖尿病诊疗标准(七)——美国糖尿病学会(ADA)2006年公布

6.1.3抗血小板药物建议★对于有心血管疾病(CVD)史的糖尿病患者,阿司匹林治疗(75~162mg/d)应作为二级预防策略。(A)★对于下列患者,阿司匹林治疗(75~162mg/d)应作为一级预防策略:☆伴有CVD危险因素的2型糖尿病患者,包括年龄>40岁或有其他危险因素(CVD家族史、高血压、吸烟、脂代谢紊乱或蛋白尿)者。(A)☆伴有CVD危险因素的1型糖尿病患者,包括年龄>40岁或有其他危险因素(CVD家族史、高血压、吸烟、脂代谢紊乱或蛋白尿)者。(C)★对于年龄为30~40岁,尤其是伴有其他CVD危险因素者,可考虑应用阿司匹林治疗。(E)★对年龄<21岁的患者不推…     

类风湿关节炎患者生命质量量表研究概况

类风湿关节炎(rheumatoid arthritis,RA)是一种以慢性破坏性关节病变为特征的全身性自身免疫疾病,是最常见的慢性风湿性疾病.目前尚无特效根治药物,虽然目前所采用的非甾体抗炎药、改善病情的抗风湿药、糖皮质激素及生物制剂等对RA的治疗有一定作用,但由于药物的确切疗效、严重的毒副作用及药品费用等多方面因素的共同作用影响了RA的长期治疗,而不规范的治疗又将最终导致关节骨质破坏、关节畸彤、功能障碍而致残,进而严重影响患者的工二作、生活、学习及自理能力.RA作为一种不仅可造成患者肢体残疾和内脏系统受累的慢性疾病,同时因疾病导致患者的精神、情绪、心理障碍,对于患者家庭、社会角色的影响以及因疾病治疗、肢体残疾丧失工作能力而造成的经济负担也成为影响患者身心健康的重要因素.     

生物制剂治疗强直性脊柱炎研究进展

强直性脊柱炎(ankylosing spondylitis，AS)是一种常见的慢性炎症性风湿性疾病，以骶髂关节炎、肌腱端炎和脊柱炎为特点，是其他脊柱关节病(spondyloarthropathies．SpA)的原型，病情严重时可导致患者功能丧失和残疾。与类风湿关节炎(rheumatoid arthlitis，RA)相比，用于AS治疗的改善病情抗风湿药物(disease modifying antirheumatic drugs,DMARDs)较少，柳氮磺吡啶对部分外周关节炎有效，尤其对疾病早期病例有效，但该药物尚未证实对中轴关节有明确疗效。     

心血管代谢高危人群的调脂治疗

<正> 糖尿病和心血管疾病(CVD)的危险因素如肥胖(尤其是向心性肥胖)、胰岛素抵抗、高血糖、血脂异常和高血压等常聚集并存。这些危险因素的致病作用可因吸烟和缺少运动而增强。为了客观、准确评估各项危险因素对个体患CVD风险,有必要提出总体"心血管代谢危险因素"(CMR)概念。即使充分应用了他汀类药物,大幅度降低了LDL-C,仍然有许多患者存在明显的CVD剩留风险。2008年,JACC发表了美国糖尿病协会和美国心脏病学会有关CMR人群的调脂治疗共识,现对此共识作一简介。     

Malignancy and rheumatoid arthritis: Epidemiology,risk factors and management

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition that can result in pain and functional disability. It is also associated with an increased occurrence of comorbidities, including an increased risk of certain cancers such as lung cancer and lymphoma. The aetiopathogenesis of this increased cancer risk is likely multifactorial and includes shared risk factors as well as chronic inflammation. There is also a concern that the treatment for RA itself may increase this risk further, particularly treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This paper aims to review the evidence for the increased risk of cancer in RA as well as the latest evidence for the association between DMARDs and tumorigenesis. It also discusses the evidence for the management of patients with biologic DMARDs in the setting of existing cancer.     

Cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis: medications and risk factors in China

This study aims to assess the risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to determine the association of traditional and biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with risk for CVD in Chinese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. A cross-sectional cohort of 2013 RA patients from 21 hospitals around China was established. Medical history of CVD was documented. The patients’ social background, clinical manifestations, comorbidities, and medications were also collected. Of the 2013 patients, 256 had CVD with an incidence of 12.7%. Compared with non-CVD controls, RA patients with CVD had a significantly advanced age, long-standing median disease duration, more often male and more deformity joints. Patients with CVD also had higher rates of smoking, rheumatoid nodules, interstitial lung disease, and anemia. The prevalence of comorbidities, including hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, was also significant higher in the CVD group. In contrast, patients treated with methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and TNF blockers had lower incidence of CVD. The multivariate analysis showed that the use of HCQ was a protective factor of CVD, while hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and interstitial lung disease were independent risk factors of CVD. Our study shows that the independent risk factors of CVD include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and interstitial lung disease. HCQ reduces the risk of CVD in patients with RA.     

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pharmacotherapies: Do They Have Anti-Atherosclerotic Activity?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, presumably related to a greater burden of atherosclerosis, as well as atherosclerotic plaques that tend to be inflamed and rupture prone. Many of the inflammatory pathways underlying the pathobiology of RA are also recognized contributors to atherosclerosis. Immunomodulation is the mainstay for RA therapy, and a variety of biologic and non-biologic pharmacotherapies are used either singly or in combination to control articular and systemic inflammation and prevent joint destruction. Almost all of these agents have theoretical potential to favorably affect atherogenesis and atherothrombosis, but mechanisms by which they exert effects have been incompletely studied, to date. However, whether clinical control of RA disease activity is associated with a reduction in CVD events regardless of agent used or whether the potency of anti-atherogenic effects varies between disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) is an area of current interest in RA research. More broadly, RA immunotherapies are currently being tested in high-CVD-risk patients in proof-of-concept clinical trials that could alter the paradigm for CVD treatment and prevention in the general population. In this review, we will summarize the current evidence ascribing atheroprotective effects to RA pharmacotherapies.     

Targeting Inflammation as a Therapeutic Strategy in Accelerated Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease affecting approximately 1% of the population. Patients have reduced life expectancy and the leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease (CVD), with patients experiencing at least a 2‐fold increased risk of myocardial infarction. RA is recognized as an independent risk factor for CVD. Inflammation is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. As a common catalyst of both diseases, inflammation is the likely cause of increased prevalence of CVD in the RA population. Abating disease‐related inflammation in RA may be an effective strategy in reducing CVD risk. Several other therapies used to modify cardiovascular risk factors in the general population such as statins and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors are under investigation in patients with RA. This review discusses the parallels in the pathology of RA and atherosclerosis and discusses current therapies for RA and how they affect cardiovascular risk.     

Management of rheumatoid arthritis: consensus recommendations from the Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology

Given the recent availability of novel biologic agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology has developed consensus recommendations on the management of RA, which aim at providing guidance to local physicians on appropriate, literature-based management of this condition, specifically on the indications and monitoring of the biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The recommendations were developed using the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of early arthritis as a guide, along with local expert opinion. As significant joint damage occurs early in the course of RA, initiating therapy early is key to minimizing further damage and disability. Patients with serious disease or poor prognosis should receive early, aggressive therapy. Because of its good efficacy and safety profile, methotrexate is considered the standard first-line DMARD for most treatment-naïve RA patients. Patients with a suboptimal response to methotrexate monotherapy should receive step-up (combination) therapy with either the synthetic or biologic DMARDs. In recent years, combinations of methotrexate with tocilizumab, abatacept, or rituximab have emerged as effective therapies in patients who are unresponsive to traditional DMARDs or the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents. As biologic agents can increase the risk of infections such as tuberculosis and reactivation of viral hepatitis, screening for the presence of latent tuberculosis and chronic viral hepatitis carrier state is recommended before initiating therapy.     

Use of nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and risk of infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased frequency of and mortality from infections, which may be related to host factors, RA itself, inflammation, or medication side effects. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on infection risk in RA. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, longitudinal study of a population-based RA cohort in British Columbia, Canada, followed from January 1996 to March 2003 using administrative data. We evaluated mild infections (requiring a physician visit or antibiotics) and serious infections (requiring or complicating hospitalization). Adjusted risk of mild and serious infections associated with DMARD exposure was estimated using generalized estimating equation extension of multivariate Poisson regression models, after adjusting for baseline covariates (age, sex, RA duration, socioeconomic status) and time-dependent covariates (corticosteroids, comorbidity, prior infections). RESULTS: A total of 27,710 individuals with RA provided 162,710 person-years of followup. Of these, 25,608 (92%) had at least 1 mild infection and 4,941 (18%) had at least 1 serious infection. Use of DMARDs without corticosteroids was associated with a small decrease in mild infection risk of statistical significance but unclear clinical significance (adjusted rate ratio [RR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.88-0.93 relative to no corticosteroid or DMARD use). Use of DMARDs without corticosteroids was not associated with increased serious infection risk (adjusted RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.85-1.0). Use of corticosteroids increased the risk of mild and serious infections. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that use of nonbiologic DMARDs, including methotrexate, does not increase the risk of infection in RA, whereas use of corticosteroids does. This has important implications for counseling individuals with RA concerning risks and benefits of DMARDs.     

Etanercept treatment in rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic kidney failure on predialysis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with chronic kidney failure are intolerant to most disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and NSAIDs due to their potential toxicities. Although the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors have emerged as a highly effective treatment for RA, their safety and efficacy in RA patients with chronic kidney failure have not been well reported. We retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of etanercept treatment in RA patients with chronic kidney failure. We describe three RA patients with chronic kidney failure who had been treated with DMARDs, steroids and NSAIDs, but were discontinued from these classical agents due to several side effects and nephrotoxicity. The patients were treated with 25 mg of etanercept once or twice a week. We evaluated disease activity and used decreasing renal function and increasing number of infections to monitor safety. All three patients improved after starting etanercept treatment and their steroid requirements were decreased. Linear relationships between Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equation (MDRD) glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and time were observed. Thus, in all patients, the changes in GFR did not represent superimposed acute drug toxicity, but rather chronic progressive renal failure. These cases show that etanercept may be a safe and effective treatment option for RA patients with chronic kidney failure.     

Life expectancies of Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a review of deaths over a 20-year period

We investigated trends in life expectancy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, reviewing records for 286 patients (204 female, 82 male) who had died over the past 20 years. The average age at death was 68.8 years before 1990, increasing to 72.1 years after 2001. Trends in disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) saw gold preparations (45.2%) predominate before 1990, sulphydryl donor agents (53.6%) from 1991 to 2000, then methotrexate (43.0%) after 2001. The most common causes of death were infectious diseases up to 1995, rheumatic disease 1996–2000, and cardiovascular events and malignancies after 2001. Major advances in surgical interventions, such as joint replacement surgery, occurred after 1990. Surgical intervention followed by a period of rehabilitation maintained a favourable level of activities of daily living (ADLs), The requirements for favourable life expectancy are control of RA inflammation and maintenance of a favourable level of ADLs. Although recently developed DMARDs and biological agents show promise, caution is required to avoid serious adverse reactions. Optimum care of patients with RA will require preventive measures and early intervention for infections and rheumatic diseases, as well as for lifestyle diseases, osteoporosis and malignancies.     

Efficacy and safety of adalimumab in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis on peritoneal dialysis

The most commonly used treatments in patients with ankylosing spondylitis include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), but most of these have nephrotoxic effects. In patients who undergo chronic hemodialysis, DMARDs are not widely preferred due to the chance of increased adverse effect incidence and the risk on patient survival, in addition to already present immunosuppression. The efficacy and safety of anti-TNF alpha drugs for the treatment of renal dysfunction that develops associated to secondary amyloidosis in inflammatory rheumatic diseases have been reported in various studies. In this report, the efficacy and safety of adalimumab was shown in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis who undergo peritoneal dialysis because of chronic renal failure.