Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience a substantially increased risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality. High-grade systemic inflammation in RA can modify conventional cardiovascular risk factor profiles as well as directly enhance atherogenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the systemic inflammation-cardiovascular risk relation in RA have not been fully identified. Also, the contribution of disease characteristics including inflammation and their interactions with conventional cardiovascular risk factors to enhanced cardiovascular risk in RA awaits clear delineation. Finally, most of our knowledge on cardiovascular risk in RA originates in studies that were performed in developed and predominantly white populations whereas the majority of cardiovascular events presently occur in developing populations.

Congruent with these unresolved issues, recently reported evidence indicates that the application of current recommendations on cardiovascular risk stratification in RA may result in a large proportion of patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease remaining unidentified and consequently receiving inadequate preventive intervention. We are therefore interested in original manuscripts including review papers that explore cardiovascular risk in RA. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Novel cardiovascular risk factors including biomarkers in RA
• Genetic polymorphisms associated with cardiovascular risk in RA
• Impact of ethnicity on cardiovascular risk in RA
• Alterations in cardiovascular risk factor profiles in RA
• Interactions between RA characteristics and conventional risk factors and their role in enhanced cardiovascular risk
• The use of surrogate markers of cardiovascular risk including subclinical atherosclerosis in RA
• Impact of antirheumatic agents on cardiovascular risk in RA
• Impact of cardiovascular drugs on cardiovascular risk in RA
• Cardiovascular preventive measures and outcome in patients with RA

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