Autoimmune rheumatic diseases are characterized by excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Increased prevalence of hypertension has been consistently documented in patients with rheumatic diseases. Comorbid hypertension in these patients has been shown to dramatically affect cardiovascular prognosis. Several studies have been published in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, whose cardiovascular burden has been reported as equal to that of diabetes mellitus, but divergent autoimmune rheumatic disorders are receiving increasing attention in terms of cardiovascular complications. Current hypertension guidelines acknowledge the presence of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome as an important risk modifier increasing cardiovascular risk. Our current understanding of atherosclerotic vascular disease in rheumatic diseases is that chronic inflammation, dysregulation of autoimmune mechanisms, and increased prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors act synergistically, promote endothelial dysfunction, and trigger a vicious cycle eventually leading to the development of overt cardiovascular disease.

In this evolving and interesting field, a number of issues have emerged that are directly related to hypertension experts. According to the most recent evidence, hypertension remains largely undiagnosed and undertreated among patients with rheumatic disorders, which poses an immense threat to their cardiovascular health. As recent pharmaceutical advances in the rheumatology field allow such patients to live longer with fewer disease-related complications, it is critical to unmask and appropriately treat hypertension and other vascular disorders to avoid their life-threatening complications. In the same line, it emerges as extremely important to develop and test novel indices of cardiovascular damage in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Realizing the unmet needs of better understanding cardiovascular complications in the complex setting of chronic inflammation mediated by rheumatic diseases, this Special Issue aims to highlight several aspects of hypertension and related cardiovascular complications in these patients. Original research and review articles are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Pathophysiological principles of cardiovascular disease in autoimmune rheumatic disorders
• Endothelial damage and indices of endothelial dysfunction in patients with rheumatic diseases
• Epidemiological aspects of hypertension and related cardiovascular complications in rheumatic diseases
• Functional and morphological alterations of the vasculature in patients with underlying rheumatic diseases
• Biomarkers and novel indices of cardiovascular damage in patients with rheumatic diseases
• The interaction of inflammation, autoimmunity and other disease-related variables with hypertension and cardiovascular complications in patients with rheumatic disorders