Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Cardiovascular and thromboembolic risk in ANCA-associated vasculitis: a nationwide matched cohort study by disease, sex and familial risk
Authors' conclusion
GPA and MPA were associated with comparable increased risks of CVD-TE, with the highest risk within 3 months following AAV diagnosis and with sex-specific differences in GPA.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) from National Patient Registers (2005–2020), their first-degree siblings and matched controls4,317 ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients
- Exposure
- GPA or MPA vs matched population controls; siblings of AAV patients vs matched controls
- Siblingsn = 25,568
- Controlsn = 21,582reference
- Outcome
- Composite CVD-TE end point:
- Myocardial infarction (MI)
- Ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke
- DVT
- PE
- CVD-TE-related death
Methodological detailsfive age- and sex-matched population controls per patient, sibling comparison, Cox proportional hazards models
- Five age- and sex-matched population controls per patient
- Sibling comparison
- Cox proportional hazards models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Composite CVD-TE
Each group vs controlsHazard ratio (95% CI)
GPA
2.04(1.83–2.38)
MPA
2.45(2.00–2.99)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | HR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| MI risk in GPA, males (subgroup)GPAvs ControlsOnly males had increased MI risk | 2.25 (1.74–2.92) | |
| Ischaemic stroke risk in GPA, females (subgroup)GPAvs ControlsOnly females had increased ischaemic stroke risk | 1.64 (1.25–2.17) | |
| 0.20.5125Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Individual cardiovascular disease and thromboembolism (CVD-TE) outcomes, GPA vs MPA
- No differences between GPA and MPA for individual outcomes
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) by sex
- Both sexes had increased DVT and PE risks
CVD-TE risk within 3 months of diagnosis
- Highest CVD-TE risk occurred within 3 months of diagnosis, HR
- 7.69 [5.93, 9.99] (95% CI)
CVD-TE risk in siblings of AAV patients
- Siblings of AAV patients had no excess CVD-TE risk
Original publication
Cardiovascular and thromboembolic risk in ANCA-associated vasculitis: a nationwide matched cohort study by disease, sex and familial risk. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 4 September 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →