Patients With IIM May Benefit from Cardiovascular Risk Assessment

Patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) were found to have a higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors compared with the general population, according to study results published in Rheumatology (Oxford).

Investigators assessed factors contributing to cardiovascular risk among patients with IIM.

A cross-sectional study was conducted, comparing patients with IIM age- and sex-matched 2:1 with individuals without any history of cardiovascular disease (control group).

The primary study outcome was cardiovascular risk, evaluated by various modalities: body composition assessment by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis, baseline cardiovascular risk assessed by the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) system, and subclinical atherosclerosis determined by ultrasound examination of the carotid arteries to evaluate for carotid intima-media thickness and presence of plaques (carotid artery disease [CARD]) using pulse wave velocity.

Participants of the study were stratified by composite cardiovascular risk into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories.

Traditional risk factors (arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes) were found to be higher among the IIM vs control group. Compared with men in the control group, men in IIM group had a worse traditional cardiovascular risk profile, with more frequent CARD.

Although a comparable SCORE was found between both groups, a significantly increased occurrence of carotid plaque presence, count, and maximum thickness was found among the IIM vs control group.

Certain IIM-specific features, including disease activity, were negatively correlated with carotid plaque presence and thickness, SCORE, and cardiovascular risk estimated according to carotid ultrasound examination.

In reference to autoantibodies in IIM, researchers found that patients who were negative for anti-Jo-1 antibody had a significantly worse estimated cardiovascular risk and a higher frequency of CARD compared against patients with autoantibody-positivity.

Of note, treatment duration of IIM with glucocorticoid therapy was a significant factor for carotid plaque count and overall cardiovascular risk estimated according to carotid ultrasound examination.

This study was limited by the small number of patients included in the analysis.

The study authors stated, “In conclusion, our cross-sectional cohort study in IIM patients demonstrated a significantly increased risk of subclinical [atherosclerosis] and thus increased [cardiovascular] risk compared with [healthy controls] with comparable age and gender distribution.”

This article originally appeared on Rheumatology Advisor