Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of mortality, largely attributed to increased cardiovascular (CV) death. The prevalence of the cardiovascular disease in autoimmune diseases has been underestimated for decades.

Patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) suffer from inflammatory diseases often treated by large amounts of corticosteroids. Whether this inflammatory burden also carries an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity, and especially ischemic heart disease, is not clearly established.