Patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases are prone to developing premature, accelerated atherosclerosis, increasing their morbidity and mortality. The traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis include arterial hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia, whereas factors related to rheumatic diseases include cytokines, prothrombotic status, oxidative stress, and abnormal vascular tone. The association between these risk factors leads to the development of atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Initially, the atherosclerosis process evolves on a subclinical basis and then clinically manifests in ways such as ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral ischemic arterial disease. The identification of biomarkers and imaging methods, to establish the diagnosis of atherosclerosis in the early stages of its evolution, is an essential objective in the management of these patients. Therapeutic strategies are focused on the control of traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, as well as the correction of abnormalities generated by the activation of the immune system.

This Special Issue welcomes research articles and reviews which focus on the risk of atherosclerosis in autoimmune rheumatic disease patients and therapeutic strategies to reduce this risk.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Biomarkers of atherosclerosis in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Arterial hypertension in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Metabolic syndrome in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Insulin resistance in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Dyslipidemia associated with autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Proinflammatory cytokines and atherosclerosis in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Oxidative stress and atherosclerosis in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Early detection of atherosclerosis in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Clinical features of atherosclerosis in autoimmune rheumatic diseases
• Therapeutic strategies to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis in autoimmune rheumatic diseases