Recent meta-analyses have confirmed that not only rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but also ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) increase the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality to a similar extent as diabetes. The burden of subclinical cardiovascular disease as evidenced by atherosclerosis extent and plaque vulnerability to rupture, endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness, hypercoagulability, and systolic and diastolic dysfunction is similarly increased in inflammatory arthritis (IA). Cardiovascular disease comprises the most pertinent comorbidity in IA.

In addition to the above, ample evidence was reported that gout also represents an IA that increases cardiovascular disease risk substantially.

Besides traditional cardiovascular risk factors, disease specific characteristics including particularly systemic inflammation, genetic factors, and drug treatment are associated with subclinical and established cardiovascular disease in IA. However, the mechanisms mediating increased atherogenesis and impaired cardiac function in IA remain poorly understood. Not unexpectedly, traditional risk factor based algorithms have proven insufficient in cardiovascular risk management among patients with IA.

The purpose of this special issue is to further explore atherogenesis and cardiovascular disease risk stratification through high-quality original and review manuscripts on novel risk markers in IA.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• The impact of cytokines, adipokines, coagulation markers, proinflammatory HDL, and other novel molecules on cardiovascular disease risk in RA, AS, PsA, and gout
• Mediators of plaque vulnerability in IA
• The role of novel biomarkers in cardiovascular disease risk stratification beyond traditional risk factors in IA
• Cardiovascular disease risk and its stratification in nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis
• Cardiovascular disease risk and its stratification in IA patients from developing populations
• The impact of vascular imaging determined subclinical cardiovascular disease on enhanced cardiovascular risk stratification in IA
• The impact of arterial stiffness on enhanced cardiovascular risk stratification in IA
• Effects of different antihypertensive agents on cardiovascular risk in IA
• Effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on subclinical cardiovascular disease in PsA
• Effect of dietary intervention on subclinical cardiovascular disease in IA
• Comparison of chronic oral versus intra-articular corticosteroid therapy on cardiovascular disease risk in IA
• Effect of novel biologic and targeted synthetic disease modifying agents on cardiovascular risk in IA
• Impact of nonsteroidal agents on cardiovascular disease risk in axial spondyloarthritis