Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in Northern Sweden.

Abstract

The overall mortality and death due to CVD and IHD were in both sexes increased in seropositive RA. Male sex and high age at disease onset predicted death and cardiovascular event. Except for hypertension, which increased the risk for cardiovascular event, neither of these traditional cardiovascular risk factors nor corticosteroid treatment influenced mortality by all causes or by cardiovascular event.