Mechanisms of accelerated atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are up to 3 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), resulting in premature death. What is alarming, however, is that patients don’t always present with traditional CV risk factors such as high cholesterol levels (dyslipidemia). My project highlights that augmented white blood cell (WBC) levels contribute to increased heart disease in RA, and therapies which can alter either the abundance or the behaviour of WBCs can reduce heart disease in the setting of RA. Furthermore, this may provide clinicians with a new parameter to consider when accessing CVD in RA patients.