Sulfasalazine might reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: A nationwide population‐based retrospective cohort study

• Published in: International journal of rheumatic diseases 2017-03, Vol.20 (3), p.363-370
• Main Authors: Tam, Hong‐Wei, Yeo, Kai‐Jieh, Leong, Pui‐Ying, Chen, Chao‐Hsi, Li, Yuan‐Chao, Ma, Chien‐Ming, Wang, Yu‐Hsun, Chiou, Jeng‐Yuan, Wei, James Cheng‐Chung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Ankylosing spondylitis; Anti-inflammatory agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - adverse effects; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - therapeutic use; Antibiotics; cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - diagnosis; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Celecoxib; Celecoxib - adverse effects; Celecoxib - therapeutic use; Chi-Square Distribution; Cohort analysis; Databases, Factual; defined daily dose; Female; Health risk assessment; Humans; Inflammation; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Middle Aged; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Population studies; Population-based studies; Proportional Hazards Models; Protective Factors; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Spondylitis; Spondylitis, Ankylosing - diagnosis; Spondylitis, Ankylosing - drug therapy; Spondylitis, Ankylosing - epidemiology; Sulfasalazine; Sulfasalazine - adverse effects; Sulfasalazine - therapeutic use; Taiwan - epidemiology; Taiwan National Health Insurance database; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1756-1841; 1756-185X
• DOI: 10.1111/1756-185X.12986

Aim To assess the effects of celecoxib and sulfasalazine on cardiovascular risk in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods We performed a 10‐year population‐based retrospective cohort study. A total of 1208 AS patients and 19 328 non‐AS patients were sampled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) database. We compared these two groups of patients to identify the differences in the exposure of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and sulfasalazine and their effects on cardiovascular risk. Univariate analyses were performed using Chi‐squared tests for dichotomous variables and t‐tests for continuous variables. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to investigate the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Results AS patients had an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.72 (CI = 1.46–2.02, P < 0.01) for CVD compared with non‐AS controls. The risk increased significantly with the progression of the disease. The use of celecoxib and sulfasalazine provided protective effects against CVD in both groups of patients. Both drugs at high cumulative defined daily doses (DDD) and celecoxib alone at high cumulative DDD showed significant protective effects against CVD in AS patients and the control group, respectively. Sulfasalazine at ≥ 0.5 DDD (1000 mg/day) reduced CVD risk in patients with AS (HR = 0.65, CI = 0.43–0.998, P < 0.05). Conclusions In this population‐based retrospective cohort study, sulfasalazine at its optimal dose reduced CVD risk in patients with AS. Celecoxib was neutral regarding CVD risk in AS patients.