Jehat KILIÇ, Yusuf DOĞAN, Gülşah YAMANCAN, Burak ÖZ
Rheumatology Quarterly - 2026;4(1):47-52
Objective: Identify clinical and biochemical predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis (2010-2024), quantifying the contributions of traditional risk factors (dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes) and RA-related (Rheumatoid Arthritis) disease characteristics. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 232 adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed at our rheumatology clinic between January 2010 and March 2024. Results: MACE occurred in 41 patients. Compared with those without MACE, affected patients were older and had more treatment changes and prior biologic exposures. They showed worse renal indices (higher urea/creatinine) and an adverse metabolic profile-higher total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and HbA1c. In multivariable logistic regression, dyslipidemia remained the only independent predictor of MACE (OR 27.04; 95% CI 9.18-79.68; p<0.001). Conclusion: In RA, MACE was associated with older age and metabolic risk, but dyslipidemia was the only independent predictor. These findings support prioritizing lipid monitoring and cardiovascular risk management in routine RA care.
