Cardiovascular Health in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Published in: Journal for nurse practitioners 2020-05, Vol.16 (5), p.328-331
• Main Authors: McMahon, Patricia, Ware, Avis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atherosclerosis; cardiovascular disease (CVD); Cardiovascular diseases; Cholesterol; Collaborative approach; Cytokines; Diabetes; Health risk assessment; Inflammation; interventions; Lipids; Medical personnel; Medical screening; Mortality; Pathogenesis; Population; Primary care; Rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatologists; Risk factors; screening; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Womens health
• ISSN: 1555-4155; 1878-058X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.02.012

The recognition that patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and mortality spans more than 2 decades, yet there continues to be debate as to who should screen this population for CVD risk. There are several challenges to regular screening of this population: limited time, the assumption that this problem is being addressed by the rheumatologist, and lack of awareness by primary care providers (PCP) of increased CVD risk. A collaborative approach between PCPs and rheumatologists is necessary to address the increased CVD risk and to treat these risk factors aggressively. •Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a 2-fold increased risk of CVD morbidity and mortality.•A challenge to cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening is the lack of a tool specific to the RA population.•Many primary care providers lack awareness of increased CVD risk in the RA population.•European League of Rheumatism (EULAR) 2015/2016 recommendations serve as a guideline in collaborative management.