Cardiovascular Risk Factors before Onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis Are Associated with Cardiovascular Events after Disease Onset: A Case-Control Study.

Risk factors for CVD present in pre-RA individuals were associated with future CVE, and even after adjustments for these risk factors and treatments after RA onset, pre-RA individuals had a higher risk of CVE compared with controls. These findings further highlight the importance of the early assessment of risk for CVD.