Racial Disparity in Cardiovascular Risks with Connective Tissue Disorders Save

Cardiovascular events account for significant morbidity and mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other connnective tissue disorders (CTD). Investigators analyzed health records from a large U.S. academic center and identified CTD and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) status among 287,467 adults. (Citation source: http://buff.ly/1La7OVl) 

A total of 8,747 patients had CTD and of in those, nearly 15% of Caucasians and 30% of African Americans also had ASCVD.  ASCVD prevalence ratios, compared to those without CTD, was 3.1 in African Americans and 1.8 in Caucasions. When CTD were analyzed individually (rheumatoid arthritis; lupus; scleroderma; Sjögren's syndrome; dermatomyositis/polymyositis; unspecified/mixed CTD; other inflammatory arthropathy), increased ASCVD rates were found in nearly all subsets, always with higher prevalence ratios in African Americans, especially in the younger patients. Interestingly, those without risk factors still had a high risk if they had a CTD. 

Reasons for the obbserved disproportionate CTD-associated ASCVD in African Americans, young adults, and those without traditional risk factors warrants further study.