Increased rates of arterial hypertension, TB seen in patients with early RA, SpA

Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis had a higher prevalence of arterial hypertension and tuberculosis than rates seen in the French general population, according to recently published data.

Researchers studied 689 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the Etude et Suivi des Polyarthrites Indifférenciées Récentes (ESPOIR) study between November 2002 and April 2005 and 645 patients with early axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) from the Devenir des Spondylarthropathies Indifférenciées Récentes (DESIR) study between October 2007 and April 2010, both initiated by the French Society of Rheumatology. General population data were collected from the French National Health Insurance Fund for the Employees database from 2008 and a cross-sectional survey completed between 2006 and 2007.

Demographic information, clinical data, comorbidities, smoking status and other data were collected. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk was calculated using variables including lipid ratios, blood pressure and other known risk factors.

At least one comorbidity was seen in 42.7% of patients with early RA and in 20.3% of patients with early SpA. Arterial hypertension (AHT), dyslipidemia, dysthyroidism, tuberculosis (TB) and malignancies were the most common among patients with RA and dyslipidemia, AHT and ulcers were the most common comorbidities among patients with SpA.

The prevalence of AHT was 18.2% in patients with RA compared to 7.58% in the general population. The risk for AHT in patients with SpA was 5.08% but an increased CVD risk was in women over age 45 years. A significantly higher prevalence of TB was seen in patients with RA (4.7%) and SpA (1%) compared to the general population (0.02%).

“These results may provide important information to identify patients at risk, to make a diagnosis of comorbidities early on and ultimately early treatment of the risk factors,” the researchers concluded. – by Shirley Pulawski

Source: www.healio.com