Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors Increase, Treatments Reduce Heart Attack Risk In People With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Age, sex and traditional risk factors - such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and body mass - are more important predictors of heart attack in patients with rheumatoid arthritis than the use of certain medications that have been considered the link between the two and lipid-lowering medications may actually reduce this risk, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.