Rheumatoid Arthritis, Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Positivity, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in the Women's Health Initiative.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality over the course of 10 years among the more than 160,000 postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in relation to self-reported rheumatoid arthritis (RA), taking disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) positivity, rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity, CVD risk factors, joint pain, and inflammation (white blood cell count and interleukin-6 levels).

Methods

Anti-CCP and RF were measured in a sample of WHI participants with self-reported RA (n = 9,988). RA was classified as self-reported RA plus anti-CCP positivity and/or taking DMARDs. Anti-CCP-negative women with self-reported RA and not taking DMARDs were classified as

SUBMITTER: Mackey RH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4551571 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature