Cardiovascular risk stratification and management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice: The "EPIDAURO registry"

Most studies of mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have found increased mortality rates and cardiovascular (CV) disease accounts for up to 50–60% of this excess mortality [1–3] which is mainly driven by accelerated coronary artery and cerebrovascular atherosclerosis [2,3]. Epidemiological data show no improvement in CV mortality in patientswith RA over the last 5 decades [4], possibly related with an underestimation of the negative effects of their CV risk factors. Accordingly, we designed the “EPIDAURO registry” (Registro sull' EPIdemiologia Dell'Artrite reUmatoide e Rischio cardiOvascolare), aimed at collecting information on the CV risk profile and clinical management of patients with RA with the aim to highlight possible reasons for lacking of reduction in CV mortality over time in these patients.