Cardiac involvement in rheumatoid disease

CME Rheumatological and immunological disorders -I Cardiovascular disease causes almost half of all deaths in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Cardiovascular mortality is greater and occurs earlier in RA than in the general population Rheumatoid heart disease is commonly found at autopsy or by echocardiography, but is rarely clinically apparent RA associates with a higher prevalence of ischaemic heart disease Key Points coronary arteritis.