People suffering from Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease, have an increased risk of heart attack, a new research reveals.
Sjögren's syndrome happens after the body attacks the glands that secrete fluids, such as the tear and saliva glands. Researchers conducted the study with an aim to find the relationship between this inflammatory disease and heart attack and stroke risks. The findings showed that SjS significantly increases these risks, especially within the first year of the diagnosis.
"This is the first general population-based cohort study comparing the relative risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients with new Sjögren's syndrome with age, sex, and entry-matched controls; previously we only had limited data on the relative risks in this specific patient group," Dr. Antonio Aviña-Zubieta, a research scientist and an Assistant Professor of rheumatology, University of British Columbia, said in the press release.
"It is the acute inflammatory state in Sjögren's syndrome, particularly at the onset of the disease, which is likely to be the main driver for the increased risk of heart attacks and stroke," he said.
For the study, researchers examined heart attack data. They found that out of 1,176 SjS cases, 28 patients experienced a first time heart attack. The heart attack occurrence rate was 7.7 per 1000 person-years.
The researchers then compared the data to 11,879 cases of patients without SjS, they found that the heart attack incidence rate was only 3.5 per 1000 person-years. Following this, the team examined stroke numbers. They found that people with SjS had an incident rate of 5.1 per 1000 person-years whereas people without the syndrome had a rate of 3.4 per 1000 person-years.
"Our results support the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease and the need for increased monitoring for coronary artery disease in all patients with this condition, in addition to proper management and modification of their cardiovascular risk factors to reduce the risk of a future heart attack," Dr. Aviña-Zubieta, who is the Principal Investigator of the study, said.
The study's findings were presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress .
