A Taiwanese alert…
The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database containing records covering the years from 2000 to 2010. DM and PM were confined for the purposes of this study to those aged ⩾18 years who were eligible for the Taiwan catastrophic illness certificate. The diagnoses, coronary heart disease (CHD) outcomes and cardiovascular risk factors were identified from electronic claims data. We conducted two cohort analyses: CHD and DM, and CHD and PM, excluding for each analysis individuals with CHD already identified at baseline. Data for the comparison group was obtained from the Longitudinal Health Insurance database, comprising 1 million persons randomly sampled from the total beneficiaries during 2000. We estimated hazard ratios comparing myositis with comparison cohorts, adjusting for potential cardiovascular risk factors.
Results of this general population-based cohort study suggest that DM and PM are associated with an increased risk of CHD.
… corroborated by a Swedish team
In this study, a cohort of 655 incident idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) individuals and 6813 general population comparators were identified from national registries. IIM subjects were diagnosed from 2002 to 2011. Followup started at IIM diagnosis and corresponding date in the general population. acute coronary syndrome (ACS), cardiovascular comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors were defined using ICD codes. Incidence rates including 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the risk of ACS in IIM patients and the general population. The competing risk of death was accounted for using competing risk regression models.
IIM individuals are at higher risk of ACS particularly within the first year after diagnosis.
All of these points in favor of strengthening cardiovascular monitoring and prevention in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.
