Mechanisms of vascular comorbidity in autoimmune diseases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Persuasive statistics support the clinical observation that because of cardiovascular comorbidities patients with inflammatory joint disease die significantly earlier despite anti-inflammatory therapy. RECENT FINDINGS: The reason for this earlier death is multifactorial and involves a combination of a complex genetic background, environmental influences, classical cardiovascular risk factors and the impact of anti-inflammatory therapy. We will describe the importance of several new mechanisms, especially the diverse intercellular communication routes including extracellular vesicles and microRNAs that support the development of cardiovascular comorbidities. SUMMARY: The aim of this review is to give an updated overview about the known risk factors in the development of cardiovascular comorbidities with the latest insights about their mechanism of action. Furthermore, the impact of newly identified risk factors and significance will be discussed.