PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jean W.  Liew
AU  - John D.  Reveille
AU  - Maria Castillo
AU  - Henna Sawhney
AU  - Benjamin S.  Naovarat
AU  - Susan R.  Heckbert
AU  - Lianne S.  Gensler
TI  - Cardiovascular Risk Scores in Axial Spondyloarthritis Versus the General Population: A Cross-sectional Study
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.200188
DP  - 2020 Jul 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - jrheum.200188
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2020/12/10/jrheum.200188.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2020/12/10/jrheum.200188.full
AB  - Objective Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality are increased in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). We conducted a cross-sectional study evaluating the 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in axSpA compared to the general US population. Methods We included 211 adults, 40–75 years old with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or nonradiographic axSpA from 2 sites, who had available data on comorbidities, medication use, blood pressure measures, and laboratory cholesterol values. General population comparators from the 2009–2014 National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles were matched 4:1 to subjects, on age, sex, and race. We estimated the prevalence ratio for a 10-year ASCVD risk score ≥ 7.5% comparing axSpA and matched NHANES comparators using conditional Poisson regression. Results Overall, subjects were 53.9 ± 11.2 years old, 69% were male, and 74% were White. The mean 10-year ASCVD risk score was 6.7 ± 6.9% for those with axSpA, and 9.0 ± 10.5% for NHANES comparators. Compared to those with axSpA, the prevalence of current smoking and diabetes was higher among NHANES comparators. The estimated prevalence ratio for a 10-year ASCVD risk score ≥ 7.5% comparing those with axSpA and their age-, sex-, and race-matched comparators was 0.96 (95% CI 0.74–1.24). Conclusion The prevalence of a 10-year ASCVD risk score ≥ 7.5% was not significantly different comparing axSpA patients and those drawn from the general population who were similar in terms of age, sex, and race. Future studies should focus on improved CV risk prediction in axSpA, because underestimation by a general population risk score may potentially explain these results.