Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A real-life evidence from biostar nationwide registry

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities. Objectives: The association of CV diseases (CVD) and traditional CV risk factors have been debated, depending on patient and RA characteristics. This study aimed to find the prevalence of CVD and CV risk factors in patients with RA. Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study was performed on RA patients using the BioSTAR (Biological and Targeted Synthetic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs Registry). Socio-demographic, clinical, and follow-up data were collected. Patients with and without major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were grouped as Group 1 and Group 2. Prevalence rates of CVD and traditional CV risk factors were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were the differences in the clinical characteristics between patients with and without CVD.