Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in antihypertensive drug users
Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 06/12/2012
Clinical Article
de Jong HJI et al. – Angiotensin–converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) use is not associated with incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods- A matched case–control study was conducted among patients treated with antihypertensive drugs using the Netherlands Information Network of General Practice (LINH) database in 2001–2006.
- Cases were patients with a first–time diagnosis of RA.
- Each case was matched to five controls for age, sex, and index date, which was selected 1 year before the first diagnosis of RA.
- ACE inhibitor and ARB exposure was considered to be any prescription issued in the period before index date.
- Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI).
- The study included 211 cases and 667 matched controls.
- After controlling for potential confounders, ever use of ACE inhibitors or ARBs was not associated with incident RA (adjusted ORs [95%CI], 0.99 [0.55–1.79] and 1.02 [0.67–1.56], respectively).
- The adjusted ORs (95%CI) for current and past use of ACE inhibitors were 1.18 (0.75–1.85) and 0.61 (0.28–1.35).
- For current and past use of ARBs, these adjusted ORs (95%CI) were 1.40 (0.80–2.45) and 0.29 (0.05–1.67), respectively. No duration and dose–effect relationship was observed.
