To investigate the risk of coronary artery disease in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM).
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies that reported odds ratios, relative risks, hazard ratios, or standardized incidence ratios comparing the risk of coronary artery disease in patients with IIM versus non-IIM participants. We searched published studies indexed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database from inception to December 2013 using the terms "coronary artery disease" OR "coronary heart disease" OR "myocardial infarction" OR "atherosclerosis" combined with the terms "dermatomyositis" OR "polymyositis" OR "Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy." Pooled risk ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method.
Overall, four studies were identified and included for data analysis. The pooled risk ratio of CAD in patients with IIM was 2.24 (95% CI: 1.02-4.92). The statistical heterogeneity of this meta-analysis was high with an I(2) of 97%.
Our study demonstrated a statistically significant increased risk of CAD among patients with IIM.