Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models for vascular biomarkers as predictors of cardiovascular disease events. Because of the separation of the events, we were not able to assess CP as a predictor for CVD events using Cox proportional hazards regression. The HR with 95% CI are estimated from a proportional hazards model including the vascular biomarker in addition to 1 additional covariate.
| Variables | aPWV, HR (95% CI), p | AIx, HR (95% CI), p | IMT, HR (95% CI), p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted | 1.85 (1.33–2.57), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.13), 0.19 | 1.65 (1.27–2.13), < 0.001 |
| Adjusted for demographic variables | |||
| Age, yrs | 1.66 (1.11–2.49), 0.01 | 1.02 (0.94–1.11), 0.61 | 1.53 (1.14–2.05), < 0.005 |
| Male | 1.82 (1.27–2.61), 0.001 | 1.08 (0.99–1.17), 0.07 | 1.57 (1.20–2.04), 0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 1.85 (1.33–2.57), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.14), 0.18 | 1.62 (1.26–2.07), < 0.001 |
| Adjusted for traditional CVD risk factors | |||
| TC, mmol/l | 1.83 (1.29–2.61), < 0.001 | 1.04 (0.96–1.13), 0.35 | 1.72 (1.28–2.30), < 0.001 |
| LDL-C, mmol/l | 1.91 (1.34–2.73), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.97–1.13), 0.25 | 1.67 (1.27–2.19), < 0.001 |
| HDL-C, (mmol/l | 1.95 (1.35–2.82), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.97–1.13), 0.25 | 1.72 (1.29–2.29), < 0.001 |
| TG, mmol/l | 1.88 (1.34–2.65), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.97–1.13), 0.22 | 1.70 (1.29–2.22), < 0.001 |
| SysBP, mmHg | 1.84 (1.29–2.62), 0.001 | 1.03 (0.95–1.12), 0.53 | 1.62 (1.23–2.13), 0.001 |
| DiaBP, mmHg | 1.89 (1.35–2.64), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.97–1.14), 0.24 | 1.78 (1.29–2.45), < 0.001 |
| Smoker, daily | 1.91 (1.34–2.71), < 0.001 | 1.06 (0.98–1.16), 0.14 | 1.65 (1.26–2.16), < 0.001 |
| Former smoker, daily | 1.91 (1.34–2.71), < 0.001 | 1.06 (0.98–1.14), 0.17 | 1.76 (1.28–2.42), < 0.001 |
| Adjusted for rheumatology disease variables | |||
| Disease duration, yrs | 1.85 (1.33–2.57), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.13), 0.20 | 1.66 (1.28–2.15), < 0.001 |
| CRP, mg/dl | 1.90 (1.33–2.72), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.97–1.14), 0.22 | 1.68 (1.28–2.22), < 0.001 |
| ESR, mm/h | 1.91 (1.34–2.71), < 0.001 | 1.04 (0.97–1.13), 0.27 | 1.63 (1.23–2.16), 0.001 |
| DAS28 | 1.87 (1.30–2.70), 0.001 | 1.07 (0.98–1.16), 0.13 | 1.82 (1.32–2.51), < 0.001 |
| Adjusted for CV comorbidities | |||
| Hypertension | 1.89 (1.34–2.68), < 0.001 | 1.04 (0.96–1.12), 0.38 | 1.59 (1.20–2.11), 0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1.85 (1.33–2.56), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.13), 0.20 | 1.65 (1.28–2.14), < 0.001 |
| Previous CVD | 1.88 (1.36–2.59), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.13), 0.20 | 1.64 (1.27–2.11), < 0.001 |
| Adjusted for medication use | |||
| Anti-HT | 1.87 (1.38–2.53), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.13), 0.19 | 1.76 (1.31–2.37), < 0.001 |
| Statins | 1.80 (1.25–2.59), 0.002 | 1.06 (0.99–1.14), 0.11 | 1.52 (1.16–1.98), 0.002 |
| bDMARD | 1.88 (1.35–2.63), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.13), 0.20 | 1.61 (1.25–2.07), < 0.001 |
| sDMARD | 1.79 (1.29–2.48), < 0.001 | 1.04 (0.97–1.12), 0.23 | 1.56 (1.21–2.01), 0.001 |
| sDMARD only | 1.79 (1.28–2.51), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.97–1.13), 0.22 | 1.64 (1.26–2.14), < 0.001 |
| Corticosteroids | 1.63 (1.18–2.23), 0.003 | 1.04 (0.96–1.12), 0.33 | 1.79 (1.33–2.42), < 0.001 |
| NSAID | 1.89 (1.34–2.67), < 0.001 | 1.05 (0.98–1.13), 0.19 | 1.65 (1.28–2.12), < 0.001 |
CP: carotid plaques; CVD: cardiovascular disease; aPWV: aortic pulse wave velocity; AIx: augmentation index; IMT: intima-media thickness; BMI: body mass index; TC: total cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG: triglycerides; sysBP: systolic blood pressure; diaBP: diastolic blood pressure; CRP: C-reactive protein; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; DAS28: Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; anti-HT: antihypertensive medication; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; bDMARD: biologic DMARD; sDMARD: synthetic DMARD; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.