Cardiovascular events risk in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases: a prognostic systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Chronic inflammation is considered a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular (CV) events. We seek to assess the risk of CV events in patients with Systemic autoimmune diseases (SAD), such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Psoriasis (Ps) and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), compared with the general population.

Methods and results: A systematic search of MEDLINE from inception up to May 2021 was performed. Observational studies including individuals with and without autoimmune diseases (SLE, RA, Ps, AS), which reported a measure of association and variability for the effect of SAD on CV events, were included. The random effects meta-analysis was performed using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman approach to obtain the pooled estimates. Cardiovascular Events including CV mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), non-fatal stroke and coronary revascularization were the main outcomes evaluated. Fifty-four studies were selected, with a total of 24,107,072 participants. The presence of SAD was associated with an increased risk of CV mortality (HR 1.49 [95% CI 1.10-2.03]), non-fatal MI (HR 1.42 [95% CI 1.23-1.62]), and non-fatal stroke (HR 1.47 [95% CI 1.28-1.70]). RA, SLE, and Ps (particularly with arthritis) were significantly associated with a higher risk of MI and stroke. SAD was also associated with an increased risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) (HR 1.45 [95% CI 1.16-1.83]).

Conclusion: Patients with SAD present an increased risk of CV morbidity and mortality, which should be considered when establishing therapeutic strategies. These findings support the role of systemic inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis-driven disease.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Meta-analysis; Prognosis; Systemic inflammatory disease.