Other Diseases Can Increase the Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke

If you have rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis or other autoimmune disease, take action to lower your cardiovascular risk.

Published: March 22, 2018

Having an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, celiac disease, lupus or inflammatory bowel disease greatly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The connection is systemic inflammation. Inflammatory cells settle in blood vessel walls, where they perpetuate inflammation and make plaque prone to rupture, causing a heart attack or stroke.