BOSTON – Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking tumor necrosis factor inhibitors ran a lower risk of developing congestive heart failure than did those on nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, based on data from a large British registry.
Dr. Alper van Sijl of the University of Manchester (England) reported that, among comparable RA patients who have not yet developed CHF, fully adjusted propensity scores showed a reduced risk for developing CHF in those taking TNF inhibitors. He explained the possible reasons for the findings and described next steps in new studies designed to cut the risk of CHF in RA patients during an interview at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.