AB0380 Delay in time to diagnosis increases the risk of suffering classic cardiovascular risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that constitutes an independent cardiovascular risk factor (CVRF). In addition, patients with RA have a higher prevalence of CVRF than the general population. Objectives To assess whether delay in time to diagnosis of the disease may increase the risk of CVRF in patients with RA. Methods Patients diagnosed with RA, according to the EULAR/ACR 2010 classification criteria, were consecutively selected and recruited for a period of 12 months. Delay in time to diagnosis was calculated as the interval between the beginning of first joint symptoms and the diagnosis of RA with start of specific treatment. Furthermore, the presence or absence of arterial hypertension (AHT), dyslipidemia (DL) and diabetes mellitus (DM) were recorded. Whether its diagnosis was prior or subsequent to the diagnosis of the inflammatory disease was also recorded. SPSS version 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis, considering statistical significance for p Results A total of 244 patients were studied, 73.8% (180) of whom were women and 26.2% (64) men. The mean age was 60.42 years (SD 13.24). Mean Delay in time to diagnosis was 2.1 years (SD 5.5). Mean age at diagnosis was 48.9 years (SD 15.7). Regarding classic CVRF, the percentage of patients with AHT, DL and DM before RA diagnosis were 17.6% (43), 6.1% (15) and 6.1% (15), respectively. After RA diagnosis, 22.5% (55), 43.4% (106) and 3.3% (8) of patients were diagnosed with AHT, DL and DM. Delay in time to diagnosis was significantly associated with AHT, DL and DM diagnosis after RA diagnosis. Conclusions A higher inflammatory load, such as that accumulated in RA patients who have delayed the start of treatment, is associated with a higher probability of developing CVRF, which are associated with the appearance of vascular structural damage in the long term. These results are consistent with the effect of inflammatory cytokines on peripheral tissues (increased lipolysis in adipose tissue, increased insulin resistance, increased arterial stiffness). References [1] Boyer JF, Gourraud PA, Cantagrel A, Davignon JL, Constantin A. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors in rheumatoid arthritis: A meta-analysis. Joint Bone Spine2011Mar;78:179–83. [2] Dessein PH, Joffe BI, Veller MG, Stevens BA, Tobias M, Reddi K, et al. Traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors are associated with atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol2005Mar;32:435–42. [3] Symmons DPM, Gabriel SE. Epidemiology of CVD in rheumatic disease, with a focus on RA and SLE. Nat Rev Rheumatol2011;7:399–408. Disclosure of Interest None declared