Cardiovascular co-morbidity in patients with rheumatic diseases.docVIP

Frosteg?rd Arthritis Research Therapy 2011,13:225 /content/13/3/225 REVIEW Cardiovascular co-morbidity in patients with rheumatic diseases Johan Frosteg?rd* Introduction Abstract e history of ideas and hypotheses about atherosclerosis During recent years atherosclerosis, the major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), has been recognised as a chronic in?ammatory condition in which rupture of atherosclerotic lesions appears to play a major role. The risk of CVD is raised in many rheumatic diseases. This risk is high in systemic lupus erythematosus – as much as a 50-times increase among mi