• Dražen Bedeković, Ivica Bošnjak, Sandra Šarić, Damir Kirner, and Srđan Novak.
• Department of Cardiovascular Diseases Internal Medicine Clinic, University Hospital Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia.
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Aug 26; 59 (9).

AbstractUncontrolled chronic inflammation results in cardiovascular disease and early death. In this review, we studied the impact of rheumatoid arthritis on the cardiovascular system, including the early and accelerated development of atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations, focusing on the inflammatory mechanisms leading to arterial wall damage, rapid atherosclerotic plaque formation, and thrombosis. Furthermore, the effect of medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis on the cardiovascular system was studied. The effect of chronic inflammation and medication on traditional cardiovascular risk factors is not the main subject of this review. We observed that uncontrolled chronic inflammation and some medications directly impact all the stages of atherosclerosis. In conclusion, reducing inflammation and maintaining long-term remission in rheumatoid arthritis may prevent early atherosclerosis. We believe that this review will encourage a better interdisciplinary approach to the management of these patients and further research in this field.

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