Patient awareness and perception of cardiovascular risk in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: results from an international survey.

Objectives: Inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are hallmarked by an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease compared with the general population. Evidence suggests that CV risk remains under-recognised and underdiscussed in routine care, although data on patient experience is lacking. We aimed to assess awareness, perceptions, and experiences regarding CV risk and prevention in patients with RMDs. Methods: An anonymous, online survey was codesigned by rheumatologists, researchers, and patient research partners in English language and translated into 9 languages. This was distributed through patient organisations/forums and social media. Results: A total of 951 patients with RMDs from 43 countries (mainly females, aged 50-70 years, and with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, or systemic lupus erythematosus) completed the survey. Although 68% of respondents acknowledged an increased CV risk in RMDs, and traditional CV risk factors were recognised by up to 60% of the participants, knowledge of disease-specific contributors (eg, disease activity) to CV risk was limited. Only 35% of respondents had ever discussed CV risk with a healthcare provider, mainly rheumatologists or cardiologists, and the content primarily focused on lifestyle advice. Lack of awareness on the topic relevance (38%), perceived complexity of the topic (25%), limited time of clinical visits (35%), and lack of informative materials (33%) emerged as the main key barriers among those poorly/not informed. Conclusions: This large, multinational survey demonstrates substantial gaps in CV risk awareness, knowledge, and patient-provider communication among patients with RMDs. These figures support the development of structured, patient-centred educational strategies and enhanced multidisciplinary communication schemes to improve CV prevention in RMDs.