Rheumatology international
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Review Meta Analysis
Polymyalgia rheumatica and risk of coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
Several chronic inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) as a result of accelerated atherosclerosis. However, the data on CAD risk of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), one of the most common chronic inflammatory disorders in older adults, remain unclear due to limited number of epidemiological studies. To further investigate this possible association, this systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies was performed to compare the risk of CAD in patients with PMR versus subjects without it. ⋯ Four studies with 34,569 patients with PMR were identified and included in this meta-analysis. The pooled risk ratio of CAD in patients with PMR was 1.72 (95 % CI 1.21-2.45). The statistical heterogeneity of this meta-analysis was high with an I 2 of 97 %.
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Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by microvascular injury and diffuse fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. While macrovascular disease and higher risk for cardiovascular events are well documented in other systemic rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, the presence and extent of atherosclerosis among patients with SSc is yet to be established. ⋯ On the other hand the existence and prevalence of atherosclerotic coronary disease remains an issue of debate as studies comparing structural and morphological markers of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events between SSc patients and the general population have yielded controversial results. The aim of this review is to summarize recent literature about the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in SSc, review the surrogate markers of CVD that have been evaluated and examine whether common pathogenic mechanisms exist between SSc and macrovascular disease.