Cardiovascular risk factors among Jordanian patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cohort study

Aim: To determine the frequency of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Jordan.Method: During this study, 158 patients with RA were enlisted from the outpatient rheumatology clinic at King Hussein Hospital of the Jordanian Medical Services, from 1 June 2021, to 31 December 2021. Demographic data and disease duration were recorded. After 14 h of fasting, venous blood samples were drawn to determine the levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein. History of smoking, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension was recorded. Body mass index and Framingham's 10 -year risk score (FRS) were calculated for each patient. Disease duration was noted.Results: The mean age of the male population was 49.29 years and that of the female population was 46.06 years. Most of the study population were female (78.5%) and 27.2% of the study population had one modifiable risk factor. The most frequent risk factors observed in the study were obesity (38%) and dyslipidemia (38%). Diabetes mellitus was the least frequent risk factor, with a frequency of 14.6%. The FRS differed significantly between the sexes, with the risk score of men being 9.80, whereas that of women was 5.34 (p < .00). Regression analysis revealed that age increased the odds ratio of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, and a high - to-moderate FRS by 0.7%, 10.9%, 0.33%, and 10.3%, respectively.Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis patients have increased chances of developing cardiovascular risk factors leading to cardiovascular events.