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Inflammation, glucocorticoids and risk of cardiovascular disease

Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology volume 5, pages 18–19 (2009)Cite this article

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and hospitalization in both sexes in many countries, and its association with traditional risk factors, such as cigarette smoking, high blood pressure and obesity, is well-known. An important concern of clinical research is, therefore, to identify non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors in order to intensify preventive measures. It has become increasingly clear that inflammation has a substantial role in the development of cardiovascular disease among the general population. Furthermore, it is known that chronic inflammatory diseases convey an additional increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Treatments that reduce inflammation, therefore, aim to reduce this risk; however, glucocorticoids can convey a considerable cardiovascular risk themselves. The challenge for rheumatologists, therefore, is to determine the relative benefits and risks of glucocorticoid treatment for inflammatory diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. F Buttgereit is Professor of Rheumatology and G-R Burmester is Professor of Medicine in the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.,

    Frank Buttgereit & Gerd-Rüdiger Burmester

  2. BJ Lipworth is Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine and Head of the Asthma and Allergy Research Group in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Dundee School of Medicine, Dundee, Scotland, UK.,

    Brian J Lipworth

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  1. Frank Buttgereit
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  2. Gerd-Rüdiger Burmester
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  3. Brian J Lipworth
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Correspondence to Frank Buttgereit.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Buttgereit, F., Burmester, GR. & Lipworth, B. Inflammation, glucocorticoids and risk of cardiovascular disease. Nat Rev Rheumatol 5, 18–19 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncprheum0963

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