Cardio/Pulmonary

Do we have a marker for RA-ILD severity? Higher MMP7 was assoc with greater CT involvement and lower DLCO; not FVC or respiratory symptom scores. HRCT & DLCO also more sensitive indicators of RAILD progression and severity than FVC and respiratory PROs #2886 @Rheumnow #ACR26

How much RA-ILD are we missing? HRCT detected previously undiagnosed ILD in 9.1% of 1169 RA patients with >=2 risk factors. FVC was similar with and without ILD; crackles and lower DLCO were more common with ILD. #2884 #ACR26 @Rheumnow

Tirzepatide: A Vascular Advantage in RA? #ACR26 Abstract #1424: In 7,944 matched patients with RA and T2DM, tirzepatide was associated with fewer thromboembolic/CV events vs GLP-1 RAs (HR 0.84; 95% CI 0.73–0.98). Promising, but unequal follow-up warrants caution. @RheumNow https://t.co/rT7vTaWY0G

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Do not underestimate pulmonary htn in SLE - 2,434 pts. After matching, mortality was 23.5% with PAH vs 12.6% without PAH; heart failure occurred in 27.7%. Dyspnea in lupus deserves focused cardiopulmonary evaluation. @rheumnow #ACR26 Abstract #0325 https://t.co/v0CIFHxlMM

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Are gout flares causative of cardiovascular events (CVE)? Hypothesis: systemic inflammation -> cardiac events Timing correlation seen in observational studies Post-hoc analysis CARES suggests maybe not... Pt w/ CVE w no higher odds of gout flare @rheumnow #ACR26 Abst1820 https://t.co/m1jWLAAanG

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How well does PREVENT predict HF and total CVD in lupus? Abst 2861 found: - Moderate discrimination for both outcomes (C=0.70 each) - Sensitivity of 53% for HF and 67% for total CVD - PREVENT underestimated both risks across deciles #ACR26 @RheumNow

Can genetics sharpen the search for silent RA-ILD? #ACR26: In 186 RA patients, 21% had subclinical ILD on HRCT. Clinical screening achieved an AUC of 0.713; adding MUC5B improved it only modestly to 0.739. Genetics adds risk, but limited discrimination. @RheumNow #ACR26 https://t.co/WjK8TFP45m

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Weber et al. (TOGETHER PsO&PsA): 30% lower predicted 10-year CVD risk vs pts IXE mono. suggest that targeting both inflammatory and metabolic pathways may improve CV benefit and potentially reduce long-term CV burden in this high-risk population. @rheumnow #ACR2026 Abstract#2299

Myocardial mayhem: IIMs assoc with cardiac involv such as arrhythmia, heart block, peri or myocarditis. Cohort of 110 IIM pts , 14.5% with cardiac features. Myocarditis and arrhythmia most common. Majority @ IIM Dx. Predictors: male and overlap myositis Ab2595 #ACR26 @RheumNow

Weber et al: Ixekizumab + tirzepatide improved CV risk factors and calculated CV risk beyond ixekizumab alone in psoriatic disease with obesity. Not proven fewer CV events, but a powerful reason to look beyond joints. @rheumnow #ACR2026 #ACRBest Abstract#2299

Data from hopkins lupus cohort compared early vs late CV events in SLE Highest rate of CVEs within 2 yrs of dx; 8x higher vs. pre-Dx period RFs for early CVEs - >45yo, obesity, DM, HTN, hyperlipid, LAC RFs for late CVEs similar to early + smoking, low c3 @RheumNow #ACR26 Abs2247 https://t.co/FIyB59930J

Plot twist in GOUT! Does a gout flare really trigger a cardiovascular event? CARES trial analysis found NO significant association between flares and subsequent CV events. Could flare medications—not inflammation—help explain prior findings?Yokose et al. | #1820 @RheumNow #ACR26

Khosroshahi et al. IgG4-RD. In smokers higher Hospitalization (RR 2.08), cardiovascular events and death (RR 1.74). Immunosuppressive escalation more frequent in smokers (RR 1.50) @RheumNow #ACR26 Abstr#2110 https://t.co/nno0scjF09

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RA-ILD: The Warning Signs Are Already on CT 30% of patients with RA-ILD progressed within 2 years. Definite UIP and inspiratory mosaic attenuation independently predicted progression, reaching 70% when both were present. @RheumNow #ACR26 https://t.co/9MiPIOJFil

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Risk stratification in pulm sarcoidosis- AB#2805 #ACR26 @RheumNow Predictors of radiologic progression, Rx escalation: -Symptom burden incl dyspnea -Systemic inflamm incl CRP -Extrapulm CT involvement These are STRONGER predictors than PET activity- limited prognostic value https://t.co/MGSbxExB5e

GDF-15: A New Signal for Heart Failure in RA #ACR26 Abstract #2431: In 2,212 RA patients, elevated GDF-15 predicted heart failure independently of traditional CV risk factors, but not atherosclerotic events. @RheumNow #ACR26 https://t.co/ridvwsHLGD

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Recurrent Idiopathic Pericarditis (RP) is rheumatology relevant! It’s an IL-1 driven disease. We may see these pts post-1st line Rx fail (NSAID, colchicine) w/ request to Rx IL-1i. RESONANCE is a large cohort of idiopathic RP pts that our cardiology friends are studying @RheumNow

Lupus CVD: Beyond the Lipid Panel At #ACR26, Dr. Mariana Kaplan made a compelling case that cardiovascular risk in SLE cannot be understood through lipids and blood pressure alone. Traditional risk factors matter, but they do not fully explain the burden of premature vascular https://t.co/9yeBTl5xyp

Article

Cardiovascular Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mrinalini Dey, MBBChir, MA(Hons) Cantab., MRCP, FHEA Nov 10, 2026

Cardiovascular risk is an established part of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) care, but recognising a risk is not the same as treating it. Two abstracts at ACR Convergence 2026 highlight this. One examines the contribution of cardiovascular health to dementia risk, while the other

JAKi vs TNFi in higher-CV-risk RA: target trial emulation of 17607 matched pairs found MACE HR 1.02, but higher mortality (HR 1.21) and HF admission (HR 1.11). Findings refine results from ORAL Surveillance and support individualized JAKi agent selection #1900 @Rheumnow #ACR26 https://t.co/uDuOCPa6bf

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Could tirzepatide offer vascular benefits beyond GLP-1 RAs in RA? #ACR26: In 7,944 matched patients with RA and T2D, tirzepatide was associated with lower thromboembolic risk (HR 0.84) and mortality (HR 0.54). Promising observational data, not proof of causality. @RheumNow https://t.co/FnCOoe6F7e

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In this real-world cohort study using TriNetX data by Dr Singh et al, SGLT2i use in non-DM LN showed lower 3yr cumulative event rates for ESRD/dialysis, heart failure, AKI & high gr proteinuria Promising data for SGLT2i in non-DM LN. More studies needed. @RheumNow #ACR26 Abs1867 https://t.co/FPe5ZmAxYN

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The PsA Weight-Loss Treatment Gap: Are We Missing the Bigger Picture? Among the groundbreaking clinical trials and new treatment strategies, one of the most important stories may be about something we aren't doing enough of: addressing obesity and cardiometabolic risk in our https://t.co/ivEm4Dg4QZ

Purohit et al. (Veterans GLP-1 CV cohort): In matched veterans, GLP-1 therapy was linked to lower composite CV/death risk, while heart failure and atrial fibrillation outcomes were not significantly different. @rheumnow #ACR2026 Abstract#1784 https://t.co/MNEsahhZh3

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Purohit et al. (Veterans GLP-1 CV cohort): Cardio-rheumatology deserves attention: a veterans analysis linked GLP-1 therapy with lower composite cardiovascular/mortality outcomes. Predominantly older male cohort. @rheumnow #ACR2026 Abstract#1784