Key result
Adipokine profiling shows no proven benefit over standard cardiovascular risk assessment in rheumatoid arthritis.
Why the study?
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increased burden of cardiovascular disease, and conventional risk scores may underestimate cardiovascular risk in some patients. This review examines the potential role of adipokines in linking synovial inflammation and metabolic dysfunction to vascular disease.
Does adipokine profiling improve cardiovascular risk stratification in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Does adipokine profiling improve cardiovascular risk stratification in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Adipokine profiling in rheumatoid arthritis remains investigational and should complement research rather than replace established cardiovascular risk assessment and management of disease activity and conventional risk factors.
Adipokine profiling should not replace standard risk tools in rheumatoid arthritis; leaves open need for prospective validation beyond current heterogeneity.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), reflecting interactions among persistent systemic inflammation, traditional cardiometabolic risk factors, and treatment exposure. Conventional risk scores may underestimate cardiovascular risk in some patients with RA. This narrative review examines the potential role of adipokines in linking synovial inflammation and metabolic dysfunction to vascular disease. It discusses the context-dependent cardiovascular associations of adiponectin, the pro-inflammatory signaling of leptin, resistin, visfatin, and chemerin, and the proposed protective roles of omentin, vaspin, and apelin. Emerging observations connect adipokine profiles with measures of subclinical atherosclerosis and selected clinical outcomes; however, methodological heterogeneity and residual confounding constrain causal and prognostic interpretations. We also consider venous thromboembolism, cardiometabolic multimorbidity, and treatment-related risk, including the clinical safety context of JAK inhibitors. At present, adipokine profiling remains investigational and should complement research, not replace established cardiovascular risk assessment and control of disease activity and conventional risk factors.
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Elsayed et al. (2026) conducted a review in Rheumatoid arthritis. Adipokine profiling vs. Established cardiovascular risk assessment was evaluated on Subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular clinical outcomes. Adipokine profiling remains investigational for cardiovascular risk stratification in rheumatoid arthritis and should not replace established risk assessment.
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