Key clinical point: Weight gain or loss of 10% or more in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, particularly among underweight patients.

Major finding: Individuals with RA who gained or lost 10% of their weight had increased risk for cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.20 and 1.18, respectively); the association increased for patients with a body mass index less than 25 kg/m² for either 10% weight loss (HR, 1.34) or weight gain (HR, 1.74).

Study details: The data come from 31,180 adults with rheumatoid arthritis who were enrolled in the Corrona registry.

Disclosures: The study was supported in part by a Veterans Affairs Clinical Science Research & Development Career Development Award and a VA Merit Award to the first author, who also disclosed relationships with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Corrona, and BurnsWhite LLC.