Comparing cardiovascular risk of patients with rheumatoid arthritis within the Social Security Disability Insurance with those commercially insured

• Published in: Arthritis research & therapy 2022-08, Vol.24 (1), p.1-202, Article 202
• Main Authors: Navarro-Millán, Iris, Xie, Fenglong, Crowson, Cynthia S., Safford, Monika M., Rajan, Mangala, Sattui, Sebastian E., Curtis, Jeffrey R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arthritis; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Codes; Comparative analysis; Complications and side effects; Diabetes; Disability; Disability insurance; Disease prevention; Enrollments; Health insurance; Health outcomes; Hospitals; Hypertension; Medicare; Middle age; Patient outcomes; Patients; Population; Rheumatoid arthritis; Risk factors; Social security disability insurance; Stroke
• ISSN: 1478-6362; 1478-6354; 1478-6362
• DOI: 10.1186/s13075-022-02847-1

Objective To compare cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) beneficiaries of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) with commercially insured RA patients. Method We created three cohorts of RA patients aged < 65 years for SSDI and three for Marketscan using claims data from 2006 to 2016. The cohort definitions were as follows: (1) cohort 1: [greater than or equal to] 2 diagnosis codes for RA occurring 7-365 days apart with [greater than or equal to] 1 diagnosis code from a rheumatologist; (2) cohort 2: [greater than or equal to] 1 diagnosis code for RA from a rheumatologist and a disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS); and (3) cohort 3: cohort 2, plus initiation of a new biologic/tofacitinib. We used Cox regression to determine the CVD risk comparing SSDI vs. Marketscan. Models were sequentially adjusted for age and sex (model 1); model 1 + diabetes, smoking, and high CVD risk (model 2); and model 2 + dual eligible (Medicare and Medicaid), subsidy, and state buy in (model 3). Results There were 380,336 RA patients, mean age 53.3 (SD 8.1) years, 21-24% male. Prevalence of comorbidities was higher in SSDI vs. Marketscan. SSDI RA patients in cohort 2 (model 3) had higher CVD risk (HR 1.23 (1.14-1.33). In cohort 3 (model 3), CVD risk was not statistically significantly different between SSDI and Marketscan (HR 0.89 (0.69-1.15). Conclusion RA patient beneficiaries of the SSDI had higher risk for CVD events than those employed. The differences in CVD events between SSDI and Marketscan were partially attributable to differences in CVD risk factors. Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Cardiovascular disease, Social security disability insurance, Disability, Health outcomes