MI and Perhaps Stroke Risk Increased in Sjögren Syndrome

A retrospective matched-cohort study from Canada has found the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) substantially increased during the first year after diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome, and a trend for increased risk of stroke. The risk for both conditions remains doubled at three-years post-diagnosis, according to these data.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"25154","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"163","id":"media_crop_3098481128543","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"2255","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","title":"Risk of cardiovascular events after Sjögren syndrome diagnosis","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"344"}}]]

The study by Marko Yurkovich MD of the University of British Columbia and coworkers at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada headed Antonio Avina-Zubieta MD amassed records separately for the analysis of MI and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) risk, comparing cohorts of 1,176 and 1,195 patients diagnosed with Sjögren syndrome for subsequent MI and CVA events, respectively, against records for nearly 12,000 otherwise similar people who did not have Sjögren syndrome.

This is the first population-based study to address the question of cardiovascular risk in Sjögren syndrome, Yurkovich said at 2014 annual meeting of the European Union League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). The notably increased risk for MI in the first year after diagnosis indicates that the acute inflammatory state is probably the driver for the MI risk, he added.