Current Vascular Pharmacology - Volume 18, Issue 5, 2020

In the current Thematic Issue of Current Vascular Pharmacology (CVP), entitled “Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases and Cardiology”, presented in two parts, Part 1 and Part 2, review articles are included from specialists in cardiology, rheumatology, immunology and related fields. These reviews discuss the cardiovascular complications of the main systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (ARDs). For example, th Read More

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory arthritis. Inflammation, however, can spread beyond the joints to involve other organs. During the past few years, it has been well recognized that RA associates with increased risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) compared with the general population. This seems to be due not only to the increased occurrence in RA of classical CVD risk factors and comorbidities li Read More

Sjögren’s syndrome is a rheumatic autoimmune disease that primarily affects middle-aged women and runs a slowly progressing course with sicca symptoms being the prevalent manifestation. Premature atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality are frequently encountered in rheumatic diseases characterized by significant systemic inflammation, such as the inflammatory arthritides, systemic v Read More

Patients with rheumatoid diseases have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD-related death compared with the general population. Both the traditional cardiovascular risk factors and systemic inflammation are contributors to this phenomenon. This review examines the available evidence about the effects of synthetic, non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on CVD risk. This is Read More

The vasculitides are a heterogeneous group of disorders, characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration and necrosis of blood vessels that cause vascular obstruction or aneurysm formation, affecting various organs such as lungs, kidneys, skin and joints. Cardiac involvement is commonly encountered in primary systemic vasculitis and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Depending on the dominant path Read More

The spondyloarthritides are a group of chronic systemic inflammatory joint diseases, the main types being ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Evidence accumulating during the last decades suggests that patients with AS or PsA carry an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular death. This risk appears to be mediated by systemic inflammation over and above classical cardiovascular ri Read More

The risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease is increased among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases and remains an underserved area of medical need. Although traditional risk factors for CV disease, such as hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemia and obesity contribute to endothelial dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), they are not enough on their own to explain the observed excess CV risk. Rather, sy Read More

Objective: Restenosis is a frequent complication of angioplasty. It consists of a neointimal hyperplasia resulting from progression and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) into the vessel lumen. microRNA miR-223 has recently been shown to be involved in cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, vascular calcification and arterial thrombosis. In this study, our aim was to assess the impact of miR-223 modu Read More

Objective: Sudomotor dysfunction is a feature of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN). The indicator plaster Neuropad can provide an easy and accurate way to diagnose DPN. The aim of the present study was to evaluate Neuropad’s specificity, sensitivity and accuracy in detecting DPN in patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Methods: A total of 174 patients with DM (79 with type 1 DM, 88 women), mean age 49.8 ± 16.1 ye Read More

Background: Osteoprotegerin and osteopontin have recently emerged as key factors in both vascular remodelling and atherosclerosis progression. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an inflammatory cytokine with a key role in atherosclerosis. The relationship of osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, and IL-6 serum levels with endothelial function and arterial stiffness was evaluated in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: We enrolled Read More