Experts discuss the diagnosis and treatment of myositis-related cardiovascular disease.
Study Examines Tofacitinib’s Long-Term Cardiovascular Risk & More
In a post-marketing safety study, tofacitinib did not prove non-inferior to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors when evaluated for its long-term effects on heart disease, malignancies and serious infections in RA patients.
Dual-Energy CT May Help Detect Gout Patients at Risk for Heart Disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Dual energy computed tomography (DECT) can differentiate cardiovascular monosodium urate (MSU) deposits from calcium deposits in patients with gout, potentially identifying those at risk of heart disease, researchers say. Sylvia Strobl, MD, of Medical University Innsbruck and colleagues analyzed calcium scores and MSU deposits in 59 patients with gout (mean age: 59;…
Poor Sleep Quality During Menopause Tied to Increased Inflammation
(Reuters Health)—Middle-aged women who get poor quality sleep have elevated levels of inflammatory markers, suggesting their risk for heart disease and other illnesses may be increased, U.S. researchers say. Based on sleep monitoring and blood tests of 295 women, most of whom were past menopause, researchers found those who had trouble falling asleep or who…
Study Finds Newer Gout Drug Poses Risk to Heart Patients
(Reuters Health)—Gout sufferers with major pre-existing heart disease face a higher risk of death if they are treated with the drug febuxostat, a large long-term study has concluded. The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 34% higher with febuxostat than with allopurinol. When researchers considered deaths from any cause, the risk was 22% higher…
FDA Update: Possible Heart Risks with Clarithromycin; Apadaz Receives FDA Approval
After reviewing a 10-year study, the FDA cautions that prescribing clarithromycin to patients with heart disease increases the risk of heart problems or death…
Autoimmune Inflammation Increases Risk of Heart Disease
SAN DIEGO—It’s no secret: Autoimmune, inflammatory rheumatic disease raises a patient’s risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). “Inflammation may affect all aspects of the cardiac structure and function,” said Rekha Mankad, MD, FACC, director of the Women’s Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Mankad also oversees a cardio-rheumatology clinic to assess and treat…
Psoriatic Arthritis Linked to Increased Heart Disease Risk
(Reuters Health)—Arthritis that accompanies the skin condition psoriasis may also come with a higher risk of heart problems, according to a Hong Kong study. In particular, patients with psoriatic arthritis may have a three- to four-fold higher prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis. Clinicians need to identify patients with high cardiovascular (CV) risk so they can provide…
Psoriasis May Carry Atherosclerosis Risk Similar to that with Diabetes
(Reuters Health)—People with psoriasis may be at increased risk of coronary artery calcium buildup, comparable to that of people with diabetes, according to a new study. Comparing people in their 50s with psoriasis, diabetes or neither disease, researchers found that moderate to severe calcium buildup was about five times as common in people with diabetes…
Heart Disease: Major Risk Factor for Many Rheumatology Patients
Rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and vasculitis, can affect the body in many ways, but perhaps the most serious is the increased risk of heart disease for many patients. As the risk of atherosclerosis in autoimmune disease patients gains increased attention, rheumatologists and cardiologists are collaborating more often to…