Evidence that systemic treatment of RA and psoriasis reduced cardiovascular events was provided in a retrospective study of over 6,000 patients with RA and over 7,000 patients with psoriasis treated between 1998 and 2003 (J.Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2005;52:262-7). The risk of CVD was significantly lower in patients treated with methotrexate in both groups, compared with those who were not (risk was reduced by 23% in those with psoriasis). The addition of folic acid further reduced the risk.
Data on the impact of anti-TNF therapies on CV events include two studies suggesting that CV events in RA patients were reduced during treatment, he said. These include a Swedish registry study of almost 1,000 RA patients, which found a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events in those treated with an anti-TNF agent compared with controls (J. Rheum. 2005; 32: 1213-8). The impact of treatment in patients with psoriasis is unknown, he pointed out.
Photo courtesy Dr. Jeffrey Sobell
Dr. Sobell disclosed that he is a speaker and consultant for Amgen, Abbott, and Centocor, and is an investigator for Abbott and Centocor. The companies are manufacturers of biologic treatments for psoriasis. SDEF and this news organization are owned by Elsevier.