Relative measures of association of an incident cardiovascular event by exposure status in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.
| Exposure† | No. Cases | No. Controls | Unadjusted IRR, (95% CI) | Adjusted‡ IRR, (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current nonbiologic DMARD | 191 | 2391 | Ref. | Ref. |
| Current TNFi | 26 | 383 | 0.87 (0.56–1.35) | 0.92 (0.59–1.44) |
| Past nonbiologic DMARD | 57 | 515 | 1.44 (1.03–2.03) | 1.47 (1.04–2.08) |
| Past TNFi | 5 | 59 | 1.11 (0.43–2.85) | 0.99 (0.38–2.60) |
↵† TNF inhibitors include infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, certolizumab, and golimumab. Nonbiologic DMARD include methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, auranofin, injectable gold, penicillamine, sulfasalazine, azathioprine, leflunomide, minocycline, cyclophosphamide, and cyclosporine. Other biologic agents include abatacept, anakinara, rituximab, and tocilizumab;
↵‡ Adjusted for preindex diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, any malignancy, current use of NSAID, COXIB, and CV medications, and current and past use of steroids, in addition to matching with age and sex. Unadjusted associations are estimated in age-matched and sex-matched sample. IRR: incidence rate ratios; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; TNFi: tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; COXIB: cyclooxygenase inhibitors; CV: cardiovascular.